Middle East Thread of Despair: More Broken Than Syria

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Finlander: Feb 21, 2011

The Brown Menace posted:

Apparently things are getting rowdy again in Tahrir Square.

How rowdy are we talking about, here?

# ? Feb 26, 2011 00:48

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# ? May 21, 2024 21:34

The Brown Menace: Dec 24, 2010; Now comes in all colors.

Finlander posted:

How rowdy are we talking about, here?

AymanM Ayman Mohyeldin
eyewitnesses telling me that #egyptian army trying to break up peaceful protests in #tahrir, crowds pushed back by "special riot units"

# ? Feb 26, 2011 00:49

csm141: Jul 19, 2010; i care, i'm listening, i can help you without giving any advice; Pillbug

Twitterfall #tripoli is filled with somebody posting Red Crescent first aid guides. It's fascinating to watch these things happen in real time. Horrible too.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 00:50

Apology: Nov 12, 2005; by Y Kant Ozma Post

A picture posted by an Iranian, not sure exactly where it was taken.

Edit:

Finlander posted:

How rowdy are we talking about, here?

Another unconfirmed report from an accurate Twitter source:

quote:

@RamyRaoof
Ramy Raoof
military forces attacking us and we are all runing. #Egypt #Jan25

This sucks

Apology fucked around with this message at 00:53 on Feb 26, 2011

# ? Feb 26, 2011 00:50

Finlander: Feb 21, 2011

The Brown Menace posted:

AymanM Ayman Mohyeldin
eyewitnesses telling me that #egyptian army trying to break up peaceful protests in #tahrir, crowds pushed back by "special riot units"

That's... That's not good.
What does this mean, in practice? If this is true, all the respect for the army the public may have had is completely abolished. There'll probably be more protests, and that might not end well, since they're already dispersing them. Who knows what they might do.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 00:56

Mr.Showtime: Oct 22, 2006; I'm not going to say that

I am shocked that the new old regime in Egypt is doing the same that the old old regime did!

# ? Feb 26, 2011 00:56

The Brown Menace: Dec 24, 2010; Now comes in all colors.

Finlander posted:

That's... That's not good.
What does this mean, in practice? If this is true, all the respect for the army the public may have had is completely abolished. There'll probably be more protests, and that might not end well, since they're already dispersing them. Who knows what they might do.

"Special riot units" once again sounds like "not rank and file conscripts" so I'm guessing we'll see Egyptian revolution 2.0 soon enough.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 00:58

Furious Mittens: Oct 14, 2005; Lipstick Apathy

Mr.Showtime posted:

I am shocked that the new old regime in Egypt is doing the same that the old old regime did!

I am a little bit shocked at how fast they resorted to their old tactics, however. They have to know that the international community is watching what happens in Egypt with a very fine microscope, both for their concern for Egypt and their own interests. It doesn't make sense that the military junta would crack down now and basically de-legitimize all of the good will that they've built up since the revolution started.

Of course, they may just think that everyone is paying attention to Libya and hope no one notices.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 00:59

Finlander: Feb 21, 2011

The Brown Menace posted:

"Special riot units" once again sounds like "not rank and file conscripts" so I'm guessing we'll see Egyptian revolution 2.0 soon enough.

Hmm, maybe. But, again, that could go badly, maybe even worse than revolution 1.0. I just have a really bad feeling about this.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 00:59

HallelujahLee: May 3, 2009

Mr.Showtime posted:

I am shocked that the new old regime in Egypt is doing the same that the old old regime did!

I feel for these protesters, most of these countries will probably just end up with another Dictator and the cycle will just repeat over and over.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:01

The Brown Menace: Dec 24, 2010; Now comes in all colors.

Finlander posted:

Hmm, maybe. But, again, that could go badly, maybe even worse than revolution 1.0. I just have a really bad feeling about this.

All things considered, 1.0 went as smoothly and was as non-violent (on the side of the revolutionaries) as any revolution will ever get.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:02

Mr.Showtime: Oct 22, 2006; I'm not going to say that

Furious Mittens posted:

I am a little bit shocked at how fast they resorted to their old tactics, however. They have to know that the international community is watching what happens in Egypt with a very fine microscope, both for their concern for Egypt and their own interests. It doesn't make sense that the military junta would crack down now and basically de-legitimize all of the good will that they've built up since the revolution started.

Of course, they may just think that everyone is paying attention to Libya and hope no one notices.

They also know that most of the international community waits and waits and waits to give a poo poo until they know that the regime is going to topple then says something. Provided they only beat protestors and don't just start machine gunning them like in Libya the international community doesn't really care. The US and CIA are so up in the Egyptian militaries business there's no way that they want anything but the status quo to continue.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:06

Ghetto Prince: Sep 11, 2010; got to be mellow, y'all

Not good, Zawia is still a mess from the last attack, said they had no medical supplies and the hospital was a shambles.

As for Egypt, I guess the Generals finally worked out who's going to be the next Mubarak?

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:07

Finlander: Feb 21, 2011

Gaddafi's son is on TV.
He's acting like facts are on his side.
Christ, what an rear end in a top hat.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:10

Furious Mittens: Oct 14, 2005; Lipstick Apathy

Mr.Showtime posted:

They also know that most of the international community waits and waits and waits to give a poo poo until they know that the regime is going to topple then says something. Provided they only beat protestors and don't just start machine gunning them like in Libya the international community doesn't really care. The US and CIA are so up in the Egyptian militaries business there's no way that they want anything but the status quo to continue.

That's probably very true. It's just surprising that they would do it so soon after they relatively peaceful fall of the Mubarak regime.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:11

The Brown Menace: Dec 24, 2010; Now comes in all colors.

Ayman just replied to my Tweet. :allears:

We're burning this motherfucker down guys, hide you Ghaddafi, hide yo mercenaries, hide yo foreign indifference, they revolting against erryone out here.

Btw CNN Turk had an exclusive on-location interview with Ghaddafi's son today, he was every bit as loving idiotic and deranged as you could imagine.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:15

Lycus: Aug 5, 2008; Half the posters in this forum have been made up. This website is a goddamn ghost town.

This Libyan Minister of Immigration on AJE is definitely not a camera-person.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:16

Furious Mittens: Oct 14, 2005; Lipstick Apathy

Lycus posted:

This Libyan Minister of Immigration on AJE is definitely not a camera-person.

That is an awesome hair do though.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:18

EskimoFreeState: Jul 23, 2007; I AM COMING FOR YOU,

AND YOU WILL LEAD ME TO THE DANCE FLOOR.

The Brown Menace posted:

All things considered, 1.0 went as smoothly and was as non-violent (on the side of the revolutionaries) as any revolution will ever get.

Aside from the obvious "oppressing people is always wrong" part, that might be the worst part if the junta ends up getting all Mubarakey on the Egyptian population, all of two full weeks after evicting the previous dictator. Tahrir Square is now the symbol of oppressed peoples standing up against a tyrant...and winning. It's the inverse of Tiananmen.

Libya is where it is today in part because of February 11th. And any other movement that has/is/will start against an despotic government around the world, from North Korea (slim) to Iran or Syria, is going to take at least some inspiration from Egypt. The junta has the power, whether it wants it or not, to make the will of the people look irrelevant again, when it has real concrete political power for the first time in decades in the Middle East.

In other words, quit fuckin' around, Egyptian military.

Edit: vvvvvvvvvv OH COME ON vvvvvvvvvvv

EskimoFreeState fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Feb 26, 2011

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:20

killing_fields: Jan 31, 2009

Twitterfall is showing that Egypt is really starting to heat up again, military special forces kicking peaceful protesters out of the square, gunshots heard.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:21

Young Freud: Nov 26, 2006

The Brown Menace posted:

Ayman just replied to my Tweet.

We're burning this motherfucker down guys, hide you Ghaddafi, hide yo mercenaries, hide yo foreign indifference, they revolting against erryone out here.

Please tell me this got on to the air.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:21

The Brown Menace: Dec 24, 2010; Now comes in all colors.

I think the Egyptian military has proven to be a total paper tiger.

They couldn't keep "their boy" Mubarak in power because conscripts would obviously not crush a popular movement, they won't be able to keep themselves in power indefinitely.

Their aura of intimidation is gone. The big, intimidating shadow is just Anakin and not Darth Vader.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:23

Lycus: Aug 5, 2008; Half the posters in this forum have been made up. This website is a goddamn ghost town.

Okay, AJE's moving on to news about the new Cairo confrontations.

Okay, that was short. People being kicked, punched and tasered by soldiers by the parliament building.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:25

quadratic: May 2, 2002; f(x) = ax^2 + bx + c

AJE correspondent saying the scuffles were at Parliament, not Tahrir. Demonstrators were tased :ohdear:

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:26

Xandu: Feb 19, 2006; It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am.

Draft UNSCR measure excerpts

http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/110225%20-%20Libya%20-%20SCR%20V6.pdf posted:

Determining that the situation in Libya constitutes a threat to international peace and security,

Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

1. Calls for an immediate end to the violence and for steps to address the legitimate demands of the population;
...
3. Decides to refer the situation in Libya since 15 February 2011 to the Prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court;
4. Decides that the Libyan authorities shall cooperate fully with and provide any necessary
assistance to the Court and the Prosecutor pursuant to this resolution;
...
Decides that all Member States shall immediately take the necessary measures to prevent
the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to Libya, from or through their territories or by their
nationals, or using their flag vessels or aircraft, of arms and related materiel of all types,
including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment,
and spare parts for the aforementioned, and technical assistance, training, financial or other
assistance, related to military activities or the provision, maintenance or use of any arms and
related materiel, including the provision of armed mercenary personnel whether or not originating in their territories, and decides further that this measure shall not apply to
...
15. Decides that all Member States shall take the necessary measures to prevent the entry into or transit through their territories of individuals listed in Annex I of this resolution or designated by the Committee established pursuant to paragraph 23 below, provided that nothing in this paragraph shall oblige a State to refuse its own nationals entry into its territory;
...
17. Decides that all Member States shall freeze without delay all funds, other financial assets and economic resources which are on their territories, which are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the individuals or entities listed in Annex I
...

Not sure who is listed in Annex I, but I'm looking for it.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:31

Narmi: Feb 26, 2008

I'm honnestly surprised the military is resorting to violence. I mean, despite that promise that noone from the military would run for president I figured they'd try and slip a guy in they could control, but they seemed to realize that they had to work with the people, not against them.

Also, won't further unrest hurt their businesses? For weeks they've been saying people need to get back to work and start rebuilding the coutry, but now the exact opposite is going to happen.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:39

King Dopplepopolos: Aug 3, 2007; Give us a raise, loser!

Yeah, it certainly sounds like the Egyptian military is shooting itself in the foot here.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:45

jsk070: Feb 24, 2007; Faintsaint

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for the people in the Middle-East having their freedom. Some of these dictators are just brutal. I don't want to be cynical; however, I can't see how any of these revolutions will end well.

Egypt won it's freedom; however, now the infighting starts. No one is going to be pleased with any of the decisions from here on out. Some of the citizens really are calling for an overhaul of their government...but that takes AGES, and of course, people will be fighting about what will be put in place.

The U.S. constitution wasn't drawn up in a day or two. It took a good long time and in addition, it was drawn up back in the 1700's. Back then, media, knowledge, standard of living, and differing opinions weren't prevalent like the 21st century revolutions.

The standard for revolution is now different. Egypt sacks it's members, and puts new people in. The revolutionaries aren't happy and stay in the square. It's just a cycle that won't end well. The people rioting have pretty given up everything for this cause, but without a unifying voice or politics, no one will agree with anything. I understand there will be elections, but still, I don't think people will be happy and they will STILL stay in the square.

The country has got to get back on its feet, but with everything in disarray...it may be a long time before anything happens. People are just in a mob mentality, fought for their revolution, and now await their handouts. When I look at images of all the protesters, I feel happy for them, but now what. I just see a sea of people requesting change and handouts. Bad news, it's going to be a long process, and in this 21st century where everything is instant gratification, I can't see it ending well.

jsk070 fucked around with this message at 01:50 on Feb 26, 2011

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:47

BaKESAL3: Nov 7, 2010

quote:

_x4o RT @exiledsurfer: Horrible: RT @ShababLibya: http://on.fb.me/f8OjzI A man taking a video of events in #Tripoli gets shot during video #Libya #Feb17

Just saw this on twitterfall. I knew the violence was bad, that sort of stuck it home with me.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:47

Pureauthor: Jul 8, 2010; ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST

I guess I stopped paying attention to Egypt once Mubarak got kicked out, but what are the current protesters still in Tahrir actually demanding? Or are they just milling around and waiting for something?

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:51

Furious Mittens: Oct 14, 2005; Lipstick Apathy

Pureauthor posted:

I guess I stopped paying attention to Egypt once Mubarak got kicked out, but what are the current protesters still in Tahrir actually demanding? Or are they just milling around and waiting for something?

The last I heard, they wanted the military to name all new cabinet members because some of those left in power are hold-overs from the Mubarak regime and they felt that 1.) Corruption and the complaints from Mubarak would still be in effect (most are) and 2.) The cabinet ministers are very, very slow to respond to demands and seem to not be very transparent about the election plans.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 01:58

Namarrgon: Dec 23, 2008; Congratulations on not getting fit in 2011!

Fascinating how the Egyptian military (and thus political) commanders can watch what happens next door and still think it's a good idea to wrestle protesters. I know that people never learn and history repeats itself but come on.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 02:05

IRQ: Sep 9, 2001; SUCK A DICK, DUMBSHITS!

The Brown Menace posted:

I think the Egyptian military has proven to be a total paper tiger.

They couldn't keep "their boy" Mubarak in power because conscripts would obviously not crush a popular movement, they won't be able to keep themselves in power indefinitely.

Their aura of intimidation is gone. The big, intimidating shadow is just Anakin and not Darth Vader.

I don't see why they couldn't wrangle themselves a more or less equal position under a new actually elected government. It's not like there isn't precedent for a cowed populace living under a nominal democracy with a tremendous bloated military industrial complex sucking blood from the economy like an infinitely expanding tick. :911:

# ? Feb 26, 2011 02:10

Narmi: Feb 26, 2008

jsk070 posted:

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for the people in the Middle-East having their freedom. Some of these dictators are just brutal. I don't want to be cynical; however, I can't see how any of these revolutions will end well.

Egypt won it's freedom; however, now the infighting starts. No one is going to be pleased with any of the decisions from here on out. Some of the citizens really are calling for an overhaul of their government...but that takes AGES, and of course, people will be fighting about what will be put in place.

The U.S. constitution wasn't drawn up in a day or two. It took a good long time and in addition, it was drawn up back in the 1700's. Back then, media, knowledge, standard of living, and differing opinions weren't prevalent like the 21st century revolutions.

The standard for revolution is now different. Egypt sacks it's members, and puts new people in. The revolutionaries aren't happy and stay in the square. It's just a cycle that won't end well. The people rioting have pretty given up everything for this cause, but without a unifying voice or politics, no one will agree with anything. I understand there will be elections, but still, I don't think people will be happy and they will STILL stay in the square.

The country has got to get back on its feet, but with everything in disarray...it may be a long time before anything happens. People are just in a mob mentality, fought for their revolution, and now await their handouts. When I look at images of all the protesters, I feel happy for them, but now what. I just see a sea of people requesting change and handouts. Bad news, it's going to be a long process, and in this 21st century where everything is instant gratification, I can't see it ending well.

Couple of points:

What infighting has started? From what I've seen, Egyptians are still united in their demands. There's a people who accept the military s their new rulers, and those that don't, but they aren't fighting/counter-protesting on the streets (or at least, not yet they aren't). Unless you mean they're protesting against the military now, which isn't infighting at all.
A complete overhaul of the government would not necessarily take ages. Egypt has a few opposition parties/institutions that could step in to fill the void, and elections were supposed to be held in a few months.
The constitution would also not necessarily take a long time since they aren't exactly starting from scratch. They could revert back to the old/original constitution (before Mubarak started playing around with it), and work from there. From What I understand, it was actually quite decent, and could lay a lot of the groundwork for a new one.
The military did sack the parliament, but then put some of the old (and hated) people back in power. Hopefully you can see why the people might not excatly like that.
What exactly fo you mean when you say they're expecting "handouts?" It almost sounds like you mean they expect to be automatically paid for protesting. Short of trying to seize the assets of some of the crooks of the old regime, they haven't been demanding money from the government to go away.

It's also worth pointing out that quite a lot of the people's demands have been put off to a later date, and with crackdowns like the one today these promises of reforms are losing credibility. They still have the emergency law in effect, they're still under curfew, the military sill hasn't handed over power to a civilian government (or at least, not as far as I know).

The people weren't just demanding Mubarak step down, they had a whole list of demands, and while I doubt they expected then to be implemented immediately, I can understand how, jaded as they are, they would expect to see something actually being done.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 02:11

The Brown Menace: Dec 24, 2010; Now comes in all colors.

IRQ posted:

I don't see why they couldn't wrangle themselves a more or less equal position under a new actually elected government. It's not like there isn't precedent for a cowed populace living under a nominal democracy with a tremendous bloated military industrial complex sucking blood from the economy like an infinitely expanding tick.

Yeah as I said Egypt will most likely be Turkey 2.0 aka another US of the Middle East.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 02:17

jsk070: Feb 24, 2007; Faintsaint

Narmi posted:

Couple of points:

What infighting has started? From what I've seen, Egyptians are still united in their demands. There's a people who accept the military s their new rulers, and those that don't, but they aren't fighting/counter-protesting on the streets (or at least, not yet they aren't). Unless you mean they're protesting against the military now, which isn't infighting at all.

A complete overhaul of the government would not necessarily take ages. Egypt has a few opposition parties/institutions that could step in to fill the void, and elections were supposed to be held in a few months.

The constitution would also not necessarily take a long time since they aren't exactly starting from scratch. They could revert back to the old/original constitution (before Mubarak started playing around with it), and work from there. From What I understand, it was actually quite decent, and could lay a lot of the groundwork for a new one.

The military did sack the parliament, but then put some of the old (and hated) people back in power. Hopefully you can see why the people might not excatly like that.

What exactly fo you mean when you say they're expecting "handouts?" It almost sounds like you mean they expect to be automatically paid for protesting. Short of trying to seize the assets of some of the crooks of the old regime, they haven't been demanding money from the government to go away.

It's also worth pointing out that quite a lot of the people's demands have been put off to a later date, and with crackdowns like the one today these promises of reforms are losing credibility. They still have the emergency law in effect, they're still under curfew, the military sill hasn't handed over power to a civilian government (or at least, not as far as I know).

The people weren't just demanding Mubarak step down, they had a whole list of demands, and while I doubt they expected then to be implemented immediately, I can understand how, jaded as they are, they would expect to see something actually being done.

Hmm, thanks for enlightening me on some of my cynical points. I used the word infighting for future compromises regarding the next government. Next, I used the word "handouts" as in jobs, education, or some sort of opportunities. Many of these protesters gave up everything by going into this revolution. They achieved it, but now what? The world isn't ideal where things change, and everyone becomes equal and happy etc.

I can understand the army trying to get the country's infrastructure/economy back on it's feet, but you have to restore order. A bunch of people protesting...isn't going to accomplish anything now, and change itself will be a LONG time coming. Government tries to restore order by force, and the people revolt back. I can understand the revolt back, because they don't trust anything with the current government. But now, the country is in shambles. What to do? what to do?

It's a tricky line to walk. I just hope that it doesn't spiral into civil war.

I guess I'm cynical. Hope for the best though.

jsk070 fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Feb 26, 2011

# ? Feb 26, 2011 02:21

GonadTheBallbarian: Jul 23, 2007

The Brown Menace posted:

Yeah as I said Egypt will most likely be Turkey 2.0 aka another US of the Middle East.

I really hope that's what happens after all this tumult. Several other iterations of that government would be a great step forward for the region's stability.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 02:24

grubtubs: Nov 18, 2010; Let's Rock.

Narmi posted:

Couple of points:

The constitution would also not necessarily take a long time since they aren't exactly starting from scratch. They could revert back to the old/original constitution (before Mubarak started playing around with it), and work from there. From What I understand, it was actually quite decent, and could lay a lot of the groundwork for a new one.

Correct! If we consider the fact that the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia during May, 1787 took the 55 delegates only a month to create the U.S. Constitution (despite being ratified in 1788 to clear all the failures of the Articles of Confederation), I can't imagine the people of Egypt would have a difficult time creating their own version, especially in this technological age and excellent documents which lead by example. :eng101:

# ? Feb 26, 2011 02:50

IRQ: Sep 9, 2001; SUCK A DICK, DUMBSHITS!

The Brown Menace posted:

Yeah as I said Egypt will most likely be Turkey 2.0 aka another US of the Middle East.

It really could be worse.

I mean, I know I'm a poo poo for saying that, but it could. Hoping for a western european style democratic state is wishful thinking.

# ? Feb 26, 2011 02:54

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# ? May 21, 2024 21:34

Apology: Nov 12, 2005; by Y Kant Ozma Post

There doesn't seem to be anywhere in the Middle East that's safe to flee to in order to escape violence in your own country. I feel bad for all the people who fled Libya into Egypt when the problems in Egypt seem to have flared up all over again.

Then there's this:

quote:

Anti-government protests in Iraq have resulted in the deaths of at least eleven people as thousands of demonstrators rallied on Friday across the country to express a "day of rage".

The protesters spoke out against official corruption, unemployment and poor services, while demanding democratic reforms.

The capitol Baghdad is under lockdown, with traffic prohibited in the central districts under the watchful eyes of several thousand soldiers and riot police deployed by the state to maintain order.

Although police in Baghdad reportedly fired tear gas and beat some protesters, no deaths occurred in the city. Fatalities were recorded in the towns of Mosul, Hawija, Tikrit and Kalar.

On Thursday, Iraq�s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki warned people not to protest and also accused the opposition organizers of being Saddam Hussein loyalists and al-Qaeda insurgents.

Nonetheless, in defiance of the military presence, protesters gathered in the central square and threw stones at the police and even attempted to knock over concrete barriers in front of the Jumhuriyah bridge, near the fortified Green Zone, where many politicians live.

"Most people want to get inside the Green Zone and ask Maliki where the country's money is," a taxi driver told reporters. "Is it under his bed, or did he send it to Iran to build nuclear weapons to attack Iraq?"

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/116569/20110226/iraq.htm?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Nice job, US. We really "fixed" things over there in Iraq. Good use of $776,262,577,000 and counting.

Edit: Some heartbreaking details of the violence in Egypt today:

quote:

8:09 P.M. Egyptian Army Uses Force Against Protesters in Cairo
Egyptian bloggers and activists report that Egypt's military beat protesters and used tasers on them to break up protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square and outside the country's Parliament on Friday night.
Army forcefully dispersed protest outside parliament. Soldiers punched, kicked & slapped me. Then clubbed me w/ an electric prod in my face.
Sat Feb 26 00:50:59 via web
Jano Charbel
JanoCharbel

Gigi Ibrahim, an activist who was taking part in a sit-in near the Parliament, described the use of force in a series of updates to her Twitter feed. Three hours ago wrote: "Cordon of military police encircling around 200 protesters by Parliament." A few minutes later she uploaded a photograph of armed soldiers, captioned: "Why are they surrounding us (civilians) with weapons?!"

Gigi Ibrahim, via Yfrog
Egyptian soldiers surrounding protesters on Friday night in Cairo.
About 30 minutes ago she explained: "the army attacked us using tasers and beating people with sticks."

Mona Seif, who blogs as monasosh, reported a few minutes ago that "some protesters are injured and on the street." She added that the military police had stopped and detained five protesters who tried to leave in a car, and "made them walk raising their hands up while guns pointed at their backs."
The irony of it is 5 mins b4 they beat us they staged a whole sentimental show of army officer hugging 1 of the protesters #Jan25
Sat Feb 26 01:02:17 via web
monasosh

Mona...

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/20...litary-in-cairo

And in the Ivory Coast, the little revolution that could just keeps chugging along:

quote:

Ivory Coast youth leader calls hunt on foreigners
By MARCO CHOWN OVED
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- A notorious youth leader, under United Nations sanctions for inciting hatred, called Friday on citizens of Ivory Coast to barricade their neighborhoods and chase out foreigners.

Charles Ble Goude, recently named youth minister by sitting president Laurent Gbagbo, said the political crisis was coming to a head, and now was the time for "real" Ivorians to protect the country. In 2004, Goude's Young Patriots led attacks against French citizens, causing the country's large expatriate community to flee. An untold number of French women were gang raped.

Elsewhere, a nationwide curfew was called for the second consecutive weekend, after a week of bloody clashes between security forces loyal to Gbagbo and militias allied with his challenger Alassane Ouattara.

Gbagbo's government also announced that the U.N. and French forces would no longer receive fuel.

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1105ap_af_ivory_coast.html?source=rss

Stop it, Ivory Coast! You're supposed to be about cocoa, which evokes memories of bedtime stories and being tucked in, and shouldn't evoke memories of death hunts on foreigners and bloodshed!

Apology fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Feb 26, 2011

# ? Feb 26, 2011 03:25

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Middle East Thread of Despair: More Broken Than Syria

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