BAGHDAD — The crowd in Baghdad’s Mohammed al-Qasim Street on Oct. 31 was not caused solely by a street vendor selling Iraqi flags for 1,000 dinars (less than $1).

The street, the longest highway that wraps around the perimeter of Baghdad, had never seen so many flags flying from the windows of every passing car, in a show of great solidarity among Iraqis. The vendor smiled as he told Al-Monitor, “So far, I have sold more than 1,000 flags and it’s not even 2 p.m.”

Zooming out from a focus on Mohammed al-Qasim shows the scene is surreal across the country, as tens of thousands of Iraqis protest corruption and Iranian influence, seeking a new government. The demonstrations, started by Shiite Muslims, have energized the Iraqi street across all sects and ethnicities.

For example, the Sabian Mandaean Council in Maysan, southern Iraq, announced it was canceling all celebrations of the Nov. 2 Eid Dahwa Hininah (Prosperity Feast), and said only religious rituals would be observed, to show respect for protesters who have been shot by security forces in Baghdad and other provinces.