Middle East Revolutions: Current Bahrain protests getting violent

[isladar]

Crowds today are reportedly the largest thus far.. AJE showed a side-by-side of Cairo and Alexandria and the size of the march in both places looked the same.

From AJE's liveblog:

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/sites/def...s/Cairopic.jpg

[Cantih]

Holy shit.


Also, I'm sad this is taking so long for the Egyptians as compared to the Tunisians.
It feels like all the other democratic movements are on tenterhooks, to see how Egypt goes. And that gives more time for other bad governments to prep.

[Uzor]

From AJE's liveblog:

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/sites/def...s/Cairopic.jpg

Egypt government will probably use the same image and slap on a "Mubarak Supporters united today" as their "official" news.

[isladar]

Supposedly the official network is not even showing Tahrir or Alexandria at all.

[BardonGaruda]

There are reports of a big government crack down on civil rights groups started today in Egypt including torture, arrests and seisure of computer hardrives. Looks like the Govt. might be testing the waters for a wider crack down. Hopefully in that case the army takes the side of the protestors.

[Dantrag]

Not going to lie, that video is pretty fucking powerful. I hope more people watch it.

[Edelweiss]

Video was fucking glorious.

There are reports of a big government crack down on civil rights groups started today in Egypt including torture, arrests and seisure of computer hardrives. Looks like the Govt. might be testing the waters for a wider crack down. Hopefully in that case the army takes the side of the protestors.

Well, there's posts up towards the top that show that atleast some.. "factions" within the military are taking the side of the regieme for now (as well as some individuals doing the exact opposite). It seems they've opted to go for a less visible (and less documentable, theoretically) route of supresssion, via torture centers and detainment.

[quannum]

Freed Google executive Wael Ghonim addressed the cheering crowd.

"You are the heroes. I am not a hero, you are the heroes," said Ghonim, who broke down as he described being blindfolded during 12 days of detention. ....

"Ghonim's tears have moved millions and turned around the views of those who supported (Mubarak) staying," website Masrawy.com wrote two hours after the interview. In that short span, 70,000 people signed up to Facebook pages supporting him.

Later Ghonim expressed his sorrow for the victims of the violence that has claimed an estimated 300 lives.

"I saw young people dying and now the president has a responsibility to see what the people demand," he told Reuters.

Google had launched a service to help Egyptians circumvent government restrictions on using the social network Twitter, enabling them to dial a telephone number and leave a voice mail that would then be sent on the online service.

Obama's hesitancy in demanding Mubarak leave office now may be partly influenced by Israel's fear of losing the 1979 security treaty with Egypt. But peace pacts with dictators are not the steady rock that Israel needs.

52 percent of Americans report “having heard little or nothing” about the anti-government demonstrations in Egypt. This requires all caps: MORE THAN HALF OF THOSE SURVEYED DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON IN EGYPT.

U.S. eases off call for swift Egypt reform

The Obama administration feels the approach is needed to reassure Middle East allies of U.S. loyalty. But gradual reform isn't going to satisfy the protest movement in Cairo.

AJE Blog

11:34pm Mass protests continue across Egypt, a crowd is massing around parliament close to Tahrir [Liberation] Square. Al Jazeera speaks to Alaa Abdel Fattah, an activist and a blogger.
(video posted)

11:15pm Al Jazeeras online producer in cairo that can not be named due to security reasons reports on how central Cairo's Tahrir Square remains the heartbeat of the pro-democracy movement.

In the two weeks that have passed since Egyptians began street protests aimed at overturning president Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule, central Cairo's Tahrir Square has become the movement’s beating heart and most effective symbol.
(video posted)

11:13pm Al Jazeera continuous to cover the events in Egypt under the strict and sometimes dangerous circumstances. Al Jazeera's online producer Gregg Carlstrom recalls the many perils he faced while reporting from the country in upheaval.

"I asked several protesters why they were so angry, and they accused our coverage of bias against the government, of "hyping" the protests. (Al Jazeera has, of course, given ample airtime to the Mubarak government, the ruling National Democratic Party, and its supporters.)

[Kuya]

hey may not be as supportive in the future and could become a potential threat to the US, especially if they choose to get their support from Saudi-Arabia or other Muslim countries

what

[Mistress Stowastiq]

There are reports of a big government crack down on civil rights groups started today in Egypt including torture, arrests and seisure of computer hardrives. Looks like the Govt. might be testing the waters for a wider crack down. Hopefully in that case the army takes the side of the protestors.

Yeah just heard a report that they placed chips in the cellphones of freed activists and that the VP just said that the protesting must end. Not cool.

2215 GMT: Al Arabiya is reporting that the government is placing eavesdropping chips in released activists' cell phones.

Here is a link to the timestamped blog post of events where I got the info above about the chips and a vid of Gonim. I'd paste it but it is massive!

http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/...he-future.html


This page posts loops of video from the square with a map locator on the broadcast spot.
http://bambuser.com/channel/norashal...adcast/1397576



Also:
I put in a request to google earth blog asking for pics of the square and days later they posted up a link to a Geo Eye post of one from January [29th]. I added the Google Earth file to my desktop GE.

It wasn't when the shit was really going down but I think it shows the NDP building on fire [left side of the map near the Egyptian Museum].
There is also a small cluster of people started in the Tahrir Square.

Aerial imagery of the protests in EgyptFebruary 4, 2011

GeoEye has just released some high-resolution imagery of the protests in Egypt, taken over Tahrir Square in Cairo on January 29.
http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archi...ests_in_e.html

http://geoeyemediaportal.s3.amazonaw...t_01_29_11.jpg

http://www.geoeye.com/CorpSite/galle...id=358&gid=20#

Anyone see any other new Google Earth or general satellite images of the Egypt or Alexandria pix?

[Uzor]

Watch this all be set up by Google to get Wael Ghonim voted as president of Egypt.

I for one would not mind a country named Google.

[quannum]

parliament building
http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg617/sca...=640&ysize=640
"closed till the regime is toppled"

Guardian

10.34pm GMT: More ominous news – in a meeting today with "newspaper chiefs," Egypt's vice president Omar Suleiman said "we can't put up with" continued protests in Tahrir Square and that the crisis must be ended as quickly as possible, according to the Egyptian state news agency MENA.

While Suleiman also said the regime wants to hold talks with the protesters about reform, he also issued a threat: "We don't want to deal with Egyptian society with police tools."

And in another hint of a hardline stance, Suleiman is also reported as saying there will be "no ending of the regime" and no immediate resignation by President Mubarak.

[Edelweiss]

what

Muslim boogeymen. They hate all of our rhetorical freedoms, etc.

[Cadsuane]

Egypt don't have enough oil to force a regime change.

No, but seriously, Iraq was a supposed counter-attack due to Saddam's threats and weapons, while Egypt is an "allied" (read: bribed) country. It wouldn't be in US interest to force a regime change from a regime that support them and Israel, to a regime that's uncertain and might not support them. Because if they get their freedom and democracy, they won't be as easy to bribe. Perhaps they would in the begining, but as they start building their country up, they may not be as supportive in the future and could become a potential threat to the US, especially if they choose to get their support from Saudi-Arabia or other Muslim countries. In Iraq they didn't really have anythign to lose, as they were enemies anyway. With Egypt, they have a lot to lose either way they act. If they suport Mubarak and the people win, they'll lose the trust of the Egypt people. If they support the Egypt people and Mubarak win, they'll lose the trust of Mubarak. So remaining neutral is really the best thing to do, and then act when they have more information regarding the situation and repair the bit of trust they lost then.

That's the way I understand it at least. It's similar to the "official" (but not real) stance Sweden has taken for the past 100 years in all major conflicts.

This is a really stupid and simplistic narrative you've come up with, just so you know

[Mistress Stowastiq]

Watch this all be set up by Google to get Wael Ghonim voted as president of Egypt.

I for one would not mind a country named Google.

I was tripping on the lack of Google tweets or general response about his being arrested by Egyptian security but perhaps they have a strong professional stay outa employee personal business policy.

@Quannum I was wondering what that sign said.

[Kuya]

This is a really stupid and simplistic narrative you've come up with, just so you know

Not to mention wrong on the facts.

Why would a people who purposely liberated themselves from an autocratic government run and ally with another autocratic government.

Why would a democratically elected egyptian government alying with saudi arabia be a threat to the US in any way when saudi arabia is precisely another autocratic regime that the USG cynically utilizes in the region much like the current one in Egypt

The USG has been docking cocks with Saudi Arabia for over 50 years, so this:

they may not be as supportive in the future and could become a potential threat to the US, especially if they choose to get their support from Saudi-Arabia or other Muslim countries.

makes fun sense

[Ksandra]

And in another hint of a hardline stance, Suleiman is also reported as saying there will be "no ending of the regime" and no immediate resignation by President Mubarak.
Guardian

Egyptians are the most stubborn people on the planet I swear. Good meaning the protesters don't give up, bad because the regime won't either.

[kuronosan]

I said it before and I'll say it again. It amazes me that we could be so proactive about going in and taking out Saddam with all those "weapons of mass destruction" and yet nobody sees fit to really go and restore democracy where the people actually want it.

[Ragnus]

52 percent of Americans report “having heard little or nothing” about the anti-government demonstrations in Egypt. This requires all caps: MORE THAN HALF OF THOSE SURVEYED DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON IN EGYPT.

Read: 52% of Americans don't stay informed / watch the news / care about it if they accidentally turn on the news / don't read anything but the local community newsletter.

[Yabby]

Read: 52% of Americans don't stay informed / watch the news / care about it if they accidentally turn on the news / don't read anything but the local community newsletter.

WTF is a community newsletter