Iraqi police mobilised to remove graffiti calling for 'revolution'

Iraqi security forces have been ordered to remove mysterious graffiti put up across the capital, calling on people to take part in an upcoming "reform revolution".

Iraqis in Baghdad woke on Sunday to political slogans scrawled across the city demanding a renewal of mass anti-government protests to demand reform and an end to corruption.

"Security forces and allied militias have been mobilised to remove the graffiti and go after the perpetrators," a security source told The New Arab.

"The writing has been put up all across the city in both Sunni and Shia neighbourhoods."

Images of masked men spraying the slogans on walls have been widely shared on social media platforms.

They call on Iraqis to hold mass demonstrations on 17 July to demand "comprehensive change to government, an end to bloodshed and the division of the country".

Special forces raided a culture centre early on Monday in search of the activists behind the calls for a "reform revolution".

	The Sadrist Movement backs the calls for a "reform revolution" [Getty]

Political chaos has recently paralysed the Iraqi government at a time when it faces a slew of challenges, including a war against the Islamic State group [IS], an economic crisis caused by slumping oil prices, and abysmal public services that have long angered citizens.

A leader of the Sadrist Movement, led by powerful Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, told The New Arab that the group will back the mysterious calls to "root out corruption".

"The state of Iraq will not change and continue in another 13-year cycle of corruption unless we get rid of the politicians put in place by the Americans," he said.

"They have proven themselves to be failures and must be removed from power."

Sadr has organised demonstrations calling for a government of technocrats, and his supporters have breached the fortified Green Zone area, where the government is headquartered, multiple times in recent months.

Sadr halted the protests during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, but has called for major demonstrations after it ended, which will increase pressure for the fractious parliament to take action.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has pushed for Iraq's current party-affiliated cabinet to be replaced by technocrats, but has faced significant opposition from powerful political forces that rely on control of ministries for patronage and funds.