Thousands of followers of Ammar al-Hakim, the leader of the opposition National Wisdom Movement, took to the streets on July 19, in 14 Iraqi provinces, to protest the government of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. The protests mark the Wisdom Movement's first protest against the government, as well as the first time protests have been mobilized concurrently across 14 provinces since 2003.
Hakim and his movement, known as al-Hikma, opted to oppose the government a few weeks ago. The movement had called for a million people to protest, but the turnout was much lower than what Hakim and his political bureau expected.