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The year 2019 will be remembered as the year of protests. From Hong Kong to the Middle East and North Africa to Europe and Latin America. In Iraq, more than 500 protesters have been killed and thousands wounded. The poet and novelist, Sinan Antoon, says these protests are about justice and dignity, and that Iraqis are fed up with their dysfunctional and corrupt political system.

(Photo: An Iraqi demonstrator with make-up to represent violence takes part in an anti-government march in the centre of the southern city of Basra on December 2, 2019. Credit: Getty Images)