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Original Content at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Fear-of-Government-Complet-by-Kevin-Gosztola-110129-1.html (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). |
January 29, 2011
Fear of Government Completely Shattered for Egyptians As Protests Continue
By Kevin Gosztola
The streets in the major cities of Alexandria, Cairo and Suez in Egypt continue to be filled with tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of Egyptians despite a government-ordered curfew.
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As the Egyptian revolution unfolds, tune in to this live blog -- check back for updates periodically throughout the day. Mubarak and the U.S. appear to be working to develop reforms that can calm the anger in Egypt. But, it seems like they do not want to admit the people will not leave the streets until Mubarak resigns.
11:07 PM ET Samer Shehata, professor of Egyptian and Arab politics at Georgetown University, appears on Al Jazeera and gives further confirmation of Interior Ministry security people looting and fomenting chaos and anarchy. Suggests that Mubarak wants to show people and world that either you get my regime or you get this. And, he point out that this chaos was not seen Friday or any of the days before. Just now as the Mubarak regime grows more desperate.
8:06 PM ET "The people have become the police. You don't see the police on the streets right now." - Al Jazeera Reporter on people doing neighborhood watch, checking on people to make sure they do not have weapons or working to prevent looting and damage of property
Al Jazeera has put together a slideshow "The Domino Effect: Pan-Arab Unrest"
Jane Mayer's book The Dark Side was being talked about earlier because now-VP Omar Suleiman was featured in stories of the CIA rendition and torture program in Egypt. Mayer has now put up a short post on The New Yorker website.
5:46 PM ET Reports now from Al Jazeera of Interior Ministry snipers firing on protesters: "Gunfire has been heard coming from the direction of the interior ministry in Cairo during a confrontation between guards and protesters, and the National Press Building next to the NDP headquarters is on fire."
There are tweets circulating saying looters and thugs that are engaged in violence against Egyptians are carrying Interior Ministry IDs -- " Al Jazeera says the looters have ID's & weapons of the interior Ministry -Getting multiple calls saying the same Al Jazeera says the looters have ID's & weapons of the interior Ministry -Getting multiple calls saying the same"
5:07 PM ET - An activists' action plan has been circulating. News organization like The Guardian have put together summaries for the pamphlet. The pamphlet:
Protesters in Cairo are advised to gather in large numbers in their own neighbourhoods away from police and troops and then move towards key installations such the state broadcasting HQ on the Nile-side Corniche and try to take control "in the name of the people". Other priority targets are the presidential palace and police stations in several parts of central Cairo.
The leaflet includes aerial photographs with approach routes marked and diagrams on crowd formations. Suggested "positive" slogans include "long live Egypt" and "down with the corrupt regime". There are no signs of slogans reflecting the agenda of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood. It advises demonstrators to wear clothing such as hooded jackets, running shoes, goggles and scarves to protect against teargas, and to carry dustbin lids -" to ward off baton blows and rubber bullets -" first aid kits, and roses to symbolise their peaceful intentions.
Diagrams show how to defend against riot police and push in waves to break through their ranks. "The most important thing is to protect each other," the leaflet says.
Read the pages for insight into the strategy and tactics some Egyptians have been utilizing to fuel the uprising since it escalated on Friday.
4:13 PM ET - This message from an activist in Egypt now circulating on Twitter.
URGENT MESSAGE FROM ACTIVIST IN EGYPT. PLEASE REPOST IF YOU CAN! "To all the people of world"
To all the people of world
The people in Egypt are under governmental siege. Mubarak regime is banning Facebook, Twitter, and all other popular internet sites Now, the internet are completely blocked in Egypt. Tomorrow the government will block the 3 mobile phone network will be completely blocked.
And there is news that even the phone landlines will be cut tomorrow, to prevent any news agency from following what will happen.
Suez city is already under siege now. The government cut the water supply and electricity, people, including, children and elderly are suffering there now. The patients in hospitals cannot get urgent medical care. The injured protesters are lying in the streets and the riot police are preventing people from helping them. The families of the killed protesters cannot get the bodies of their sons to bury them. This picture is the same in north Saini (El-Sheikh zoyad city) and in western Egypt (Al-salom). The riot police is cracking down on protesters in Ismailia, Alexandria, Fayoum, Shbin Elkoum, and Cairo, the capital, in many neighborhoods across the city.
The government is preparing to crackdown on the protesters in all Egyptian cities. They are using tear gas bombs, rubber and plastic pullets, chemicals like dilutes mustard gas against protesters. Several protesters today have been killed when the armored vehicles of the riot police hit them. Officials in plain clothes carrying blades and knives used to intimidate protesters. Thugs deployed by the Egyptian Ministry of Interior are roaming the streets of Cairo, setting fire on car-wheels as means of black propaganda to demonize protesters and justify police beatings and state torture
All this has been taken place over the past three days during the peaceful demonstrations in Cairo and other cities. Now, with the suspicious silence of the local media and the lack of coverage from the international media, Mubarak and his gang are blocking all the channels that can tell the world about what is happening.
People who call for their freedom need your support and help. Will you give them a hand?
The activists are flooding the net (youtube and other sites) with thousands of pictures and videos showing the riot police firing on armless people. The police started to use ammunition against protesters. 15-year old girl has been injured and another 25 year old man has been shot in the mouth. While nothing of these has appeared in the media, there is more to happen tomorrow. Will you keep silent? Will you keep your mouth shut while seeing all these cruelty and inhumane actions?
We don't ask for much, just broadcast what is happening
Written by: Mariam Hussien
3:46 PM ET - Fellow web intern at The Nation Sara Jerving put this audio slide show video together featuring an eyewitness account from her friend who has been studying the Israel-Palestine conflict in Israel. She lived in Cairo for some months and returned this week to participate in the protests in Egypt.
3:27 PM ET Now-Vice President Omar Suleiman of Egypt, recently sworn in by Mubarak as a concession to the uprising, will just bring more brutality and torture to Egyptians. WLLegal on Twitter has sent out many materials proving this truth.
Both Stephen Grey's Ghost Plane and Jane Mayer's The Dark Side cite Suleiman's connection to rendition and torture. Mayer's book connected Suleiman to the CIA.
WikiLeaks cables released also show Omar Suleiman's connection: General Petraeus' Meeting, Admiral Mullen's Meeting, Presidential Succession in Egypt. (The cables spell his name Soliman.)
Mubarak and Suleiman are very close.
3:19 PM ET Much of the chatter on Twitter from Egyptians at this time centers around defending property from looters.
Follow The Guardian's live blog on Egypt. Follow Al Jazeera's live blog too. Keep updated on the latest as the night time continues to bring terror to people who are fighting for freedom from a terrible Mubarak regime.
3:05 PM ET Reports on Al Jazeera from Alexandria that there is a plant with flammable material, possibly nitrous oxide, that could explode if fires reach the plant. There are no fire brigades on the streets putting out fires.
Military in Alexandria are doing very little to enforce security. Thugs and looters are taking over the streets and creating terror as they parade around with guns, knives and clubs. Scary scene as they vandalize property. Some Egyptians think they have played a role in cutting Egyptians off from access to running water in some parts of Alexandria.
12:10 PM ET Egyptians are trying to take over the Interior Ministry. See why it is so important to Egyptians to take control.
For the past twenty fours, many in the world have had the privilege of viewing the uprising through a live stream on Al Jazeera's website. The stream has made it possible for anyone interested in the Egyptian uprising to get a sense of what the people are feeling and what they are demanding and why they are so angry with their government.
At 10:15 AM, the live stream continues to broadcast images of revolution. Egypt is seven hours ahead. The streets in the major cities of Alexandria, Cairo and Suez continue to be filled with tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of Egyptians.
Correspondents with Al Jazeera have noted the economic poverty and suppression Egyptians experienced has driven them to this moment. And, more importantly, fear of government Egyptians used to feel has fallen away completely because of the overwhelming amount of people who are defying government orders. Peasants and farmers are making their demands visible.
One correspondent made clear that what he had seen being written, chanted, shouted, etc have been slogans or statements he never would have imagined Egyptians would feel emboldened to express openly. Prior to now, the amount of freedom of expression had been limited preventing dissident voices largely from exercising freedom of speech.
Voter apathy in prior elections has been high. Egyptians have not felt like they have ownership in the processes of government. They are now making demands visible, demands which stem from private problems that Egyptians traditionally would have tried to deal with privately among family or friends without taking to the streets and mobilizing behind demands for their president to step down.
The Egyptian military, a conscript army, has been overwhelmed. The protesters have moved many military members who are deployed at the street level.
Reports have been shared on Al Jazeera of military members being overtaken by protesters--disarmed and even sometimes stripped of clothing and told to walk away.
Individuals within the military are reporting the tanks are not armed with shells. They have small munitions for crowd control, for the dispersal of protesters.
But, the protesters understand they must win the military over if they are going to topple Mubarak and they are giving flowers and blessings to soldiers. The protesters are being allowed to climb on tanks and take pictures with members of the military. They are getting indications from the military that there are many members who do not want to shoot on protesters. And, as the sun sets in Cairo at 10 AM ET, even though Egypt has been under curfew for one hour, the military is taking little action to get protesters off the streets.
In terms of the U.S. response, Robert Malley, a former U.S. presidential advisor to Bill Clinton, appeared on Al Jazeera and summed up the prime dilemma for the U.S.: American leaders cannot get past the implications that this will have on power politics.
Largely unconcerned with the people or human element of the uprising, statements are being made with a focus on what will not tarnish geopolitical interests for the U.S. in the region. As Malley suggested on Al Jazeera, there is uncertainty over what to say and when and nobody wants to speculate because this is really a "Catch-22" for leaders. Nobody wants to alienate protesters by supporting Mubarak, but nobody wants to risk alienation if Mubarak manages to stay in power.