ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: There is at least one very visible result of the U.S.-led war with Iraq, the freedom to protest. It is a far cry from the days of the dictator who told the people what they could and could not do. CNN's Anderson Cooper reports.</s>ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): They now seem to appear any day, anywhere, and for almost any reason in Iraq. Protests. In Nasiriya, Shias demanding political representation. In Baghdad, residents demanding food, water, electricity, and already demanding the U.S. out of Iraq. Protests are just one of the many visible signs that times here have changed, that Saddam's dictatorial regime belongs to the past. Protests are signs of a new Iraq with new rights. The right to be angry, the right to express it, free from fear. The protests began before the Iraqi regime had even crumbled. This, the scene a couple of weeks ago in Najaf, when U.S. forces were heading toward a Shia holy shrine. An angry mob erupted, and forced them to turn around. Opposing authority was once unthinkable here. Remember these spontaneous demonstrations that erupted after Saddam Hussein opened Baghdad's prison doors last October? Many were tortured, died or disappeared for simply speaking out. Under Saddam Hussein, the only rallies ever allowed were the ones the regime authorized and often orchestrated. Anti-U.S. sentiment was encouraged, pro-Saddam statements enforced. Today, it seems protests are the new norm in Baghdad. A sign, perhaps, Iraqis believe the war is over and a new Iraq has just begun. Anderson Cooper, CNN, Atlanta.
Iraqis Discover Freedom to Protest