BAGHDAD — Thousands rallied across Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq on Friday in anti-government demonstrations that defied security checkpoints and a vehicle ban that forced many to walk for hours to the heart of the capital.

It was the second Friday in a row of Iraqi demonstrations — a show of force that has unnerved Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government, which is worried that the turmoil in the rest of the region is spreading here. Most of the protests were peaceful, but police used water cannons against demonstrators in the southern port city of Basra and beat some journalists who were covering the demonstrations.

The rallies, inspired by revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, concentrated on demands for improved government services, better pay and an end to corruption in Iraq. They also reflected the level of unhappiness many Iraqis feel nearly eight years after Saddam Hussein's ouster.

"Our country is lost and for the last eight years the government has failed to offer services for people. Thousands of youths are without jobs," said Bahjat Talib, one of about 2,000 demonstrators in and around Liberation Square, surrounded by hundreds of security personnel.

Talib said he passed through eight checkpoints to get to the square, telling security forces he was going to work because otherwise they would not let him pass.

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The Iraqi government took strict measures that appeared to be designed to limit the number of demonstrators. Late Thursday, they barred vehicles from the streets, so many of the protesters walked for miles. Vehicles were also banned in at least 10 cities across Iraq.

Hana Adwar, an Iraqi political activist, said she'd received several calls from friends who had been prevented by security forces from getting to the square.

Protesters held demonstrations in different locations across the capital. Hundreds rallied in western Baghdad's Mansour neighborhood and in two neighborhoods in southeastern Baghdad. And in the Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah, hundreds of people gathered in front of the revered Abu Hanifa mosque after prayers, shouting: "Liar, liar, Nouri al-Maliki is a liar!"

At Liberation Square, side streets were blocked with security vehicles and helicopters buzzed overhead. The bridge leading from the square to the Green Zone, home to the U.S. Embassy and the prime minister's residence, was blocked off with razor wire and concrete barriers.

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