Egypt anti-government protests grow

[quimcunx]

Tweet:


Zeinobia Zeinobia
RT @Sandmonkey: Sources: Abu elgheit gone, so is wagdy. State security will be dismanteled and renamed. #jan25



Also for you activist/civil society bods.....

3arabawy Hossam عمو حسام
We should seek and contact the Western civil society organizations not the Western governments who have backed Mubarak.

 

[pk]

Iranian warships in the Suez canal ?? WTF?

 

[Crispy]

There was an Iranian warship in the med weeks ago, IIRC

 

[pk]

There was an Iranian warship in the med weeks ago, IIRC

Maybe, but as a ticker on AJ it seems newsworthy??

OK, seems they are returning from a "training" exercise in Syria... a supply ship?

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/egypt/110221/iran-warships-suez-canal-israel-video

"The passage through the strategic waterway marks the first time since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution that Iranian military ships have traveled the route from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean."

This is pretty significant stuff in naval terms, and in terms of Egyptian/Israeli relations.

 

[Idris2002]

Remember the sectarian attacks on Christian churches in Egypt?

Well, it appears they may well have been provocations by the Mubarak regime:

Analysts say there is growing evidence that Egyptian security forces planned attacks on Christian churches and clergy, or allowed them to happen. The apparent purpose of the attacks was to reinforce the idea to sympathetic Western governments that without Mubarak, radical Islamist groups would gain a foothold in Egypt and wage a holy war on its Christian community.

"Many people believe the sectarian incidents taking place in the country were the making of state security forces," says Moustafa Kamel El-Sayed, a professor of political science at Cairo University. "Some might be surprised if they were not."

http://allafrica.com/stories/201103030865.html

'I'm shocked, shocked, to find that gambling is going on here'.

 

[teqniq]

Maybe, but as a ticker on AJ it seems newsworthy?? What's the deal there??

they were on a 'training mission' to Syria. It is suspected by some (including Israel who regarded it as a provocation) that they were shipping arms to Hezbollah - the ships are a frigate and a freighter but they are on their way home now, came through originally about 1.5 weeks ago.

/derail

 

[quimcunx]

Hossam Al Araway - 3arabawy (I believe) on AJE just now.


Hopefully it will be repeated later. As is to be expected from his writing, he speaks very well and eloquently.

 

[teqniq]

Good article with graphic vid. What went on in North Sinai Jan 28.

Ministry of Murder by Sight and Sound

 

[teqniq]

Good article about the Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions:

On Wednesday 2 March, 2011, the newly formed Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions held a labour conference to announce and discuss the demands of the workers and their unions. The conference which was dubbed “What Workers Want from the Revolution” took place at 5:00pm in the Journalists’ Syndicate.

Independent trade union representatives and labour leaders gathered as leaflets, newspapers and statements were passed around, all outlining and championing the workers’ struggles. The conference effectively launched Egypt’s first independent trade union federation since 1957 when former president Gamal Abdel Nasser ushered in an era of state controlled trade unionism, bringing all workers under the umbrella of the government-run Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF).

E2A and:

Egyptian Sufis to form political party

In a meeting on Thursday, 18 Sufi orders agreed to establish a committee for forming the Sufi political party.

The orders chose lawyer Ahmed Abdo Maher as their representative to register the party at the public registration office.

The meeting was attended by political activists from the National Association for Change, Ibn Khaldun Center, and the Islamic Popular Leadership Organization (IPLO).

Establishing committee President Sheikh Mohamed Alaa Abul Azayem said the party will model itself after the model of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party in combating secularism and promoting social coexistence.

He added that “Freedom Party,” “Egypt Today Party,” “Social Coexistence Party,” and “Elite Party” were suggested as possibilities for the party’s name.

IPLO Deputy Secretary General Ahmed Shawqi Hefni, for his part, rejected the formation of a political party that does not intend to rule the country.

Translated from the Arabic Edition.

and......

adammowafi adam mowafi
by Sandmonkey
Just had a computer offered to me from a van, it was referred to as broken coz it had no buttons, it was an I pad. God bless egypt

 

[pk]

they were on a 'training mission' to Syria. It is suspected by some (including Israel who regarded it as a provocation) that they were shipping arms to Hezbollah - the ships are a frigate and a freighter but they are on their way home now, came through originally about 1.5 weeks ago.

/derail

If the freighter was lighter in the water on the return pass back through the canal then it's a safe bet some large consignment of something was offloaded.

 

[Pickman's model]

If the freighter was lighter in the water on the return pass back through the canal then it's a safe bet some large consignment of something was offloaded.

no shit sherlock. of course your brilliant insight might be worthless if they'd made some sort of trade and it was as heavy coming back as going through.

perhaps you could look into how many freighters go one place full and return empty: you'll find it's not too many. bit like planes, they like to have some sort of cargo to pay for the journey.

and even if it's not cargo i wouldn't be surprised if they'd put in a load of ballast - they're hardly going to make it obvious they've dropped something off.

 

[pk]

no shit sherlock. of course your brilliant insight might be worthless if they'd made some sort of trade and it was as heavy coming back as going through.

perhaps you could look into how many freighters go one place full and return empty: you'll find it's not too many. bit like planes, they like to have some sort of cargo to pay for the journey.

and even if it's not cargo i wouldn't be surprised if they'd put in a load of ballast - they're hardly going to make it obvious they've dropped something off.

Why don't you see if you can find pics of the outward and inward journeys then?

Also - why did you run away from the Saudi thread when it became apparent that you don't have a clue?

 

[dylans]

Events in recent days are a very clear demonstration of the fact that the Egyptian democracy movement is still very much an ongoing process. The Prime Minister has resigned. The military have been forced to replace him with Essam Sharif, a guy who is far more respected by the movement. We may even see the unprecidented scene of him actually addressing the crowd in Tahrir.

What does this tell us, well it tells us that the military regime is under continuing pressure from the Egyptian masses and it is offering concession after concession in a desperate attempt to demobilise this movement. It also shows the very wide political understanding by the Egyptian people that mass mobilisation must continue to push for change and not simply to sit back and trust the military to deliver.
Demands are now for the dissolution of the NDP and for the release of all political prisoners. The revolution continues

 

[elbows]

Yeah thee is certainly plenty of talk that Essam Sharaf will address the crowds in person today. I believe he previously attended the square towards the end of revolution phase 1, to call for the ouster of Mubarak.

That the stock market remains closed with no clear date for reopening tells us plenty about how far the military have yet to go to restore something vaguely resembling normality.

 

[quimcunx]

Essam Sharif was carried on the shoulders of the people in Tahrir square. He spoke briefly, eventually after they'd calmed down. On the podium with him, amongst others, was a member of the MB, so someone alert spymaster.

Not something that could have been imagined a few weeks ago.

tweet:

arwasm Arwa Mahmoud
I'll kill myself for not being there. I honestly did not believe he would answer the call of #Tahrir to be among them. Not yet used to this.

RawyaRageh Rawya Rageh
I still cant believe I saw an Egyptian PM show up to a crowd that size, that exposed

Sharaf: I pray to god that I will see a free Egypt and police in the service of the people and the country”

RamyYaacoub Ramy Yaacoub
Sharaf's statement in Tahrir received here with mixed feelings. Most I met so far liked it

PM Essam Sharaf in #Tahrir "I pray 2 god that he has honoured me with more than I have asked for.Raise your head up u are an Egyptian'

 

[dylans]

Wow. Just wow

 

[quimcunx]

I didn't see it so I think the carried on the shoulders bit might be hyperbole.

He also said:

I want to see Egypt a great country where opinion is not trapped in a prison cell.

and:

If the government does not meet your demands I will be back in Tahrir square with the protesters.



Tahrir sounds like it is having a good ol' party.

 

[dylans]

I didn't see it so I think the carried on the shoulders bit might be hyperbole.

He also said:

I want to see Egypt a great country where opinion is not trapped in a prison cell.

and:

If the government does not meet your demands I will be back in Tahrir square with the protesters.



Tahrir sounds like it is having a good ol' party.

Sharif isn't the issue. The important question is whether the mass movement is now in a stronger or weaker position to push its demands. Having a PM forced to side with the movement will make it all the harder for the military regime to resist the demands for the lifting of emergency law, the release of prisoners etc. It is this, the degree of concession that the regime has been forced to give that is the real Wow.

The regime has lost the President. Then the Vice President. Then the cabinet. Now the Prime Minister. Now the demand is for the dissolution of the NDP and the prosecution of corrupt officials and police/gangs guilty of torture and brutality and the end of emergency rule. Most importantly of all THE RELEASE OF ALL DEMOCRACY PRISONERS. The state is giving concessions like it is throwing ballast from a falling balloon. Events like these are the best reply to those who dismissed the fall of Mubarak as merely window dressing.

It is also interesting to note how much events in Egypt are mirroring and being mirrored by events in Tunisia whose own PM just resigned.

 

[quimcunx]

A slightly different account of the attack on Lara Logan.

http://temorisblog.wordpress.com/2011/02/21/rape-women-stripped-what-really-happened-to-lara-logan/

Later I spoke with two young male activists who helped the person I later learned was Lara Logan (I didn’t know her before, I don’t usually follow US networks). They were Omar El Shennawy, a 21 year old teacher of English, and Abdulrahman Elsayed, a 25 year old teacher of physical education. They said they had formed a human chain with other young men to protect Logan, and then delivered her to the Egyptian Museum military post.

I went to ask Abdulrahman Elsayed, and he related a similar account. “I was in front of her, one metre away. This was after I saw her running with a man beside her. They stopped, maybe because someone blocked their way. We formed a human chain to protect her. Only young people, 10 or 15, all men. We surrounded her. People behind us were pushing and trying to grab her, someone might have touched her. I saw her top was uneven. There was a women and children’s tent (Tahrir sq. had become a campsite) and we tried to take her there, but we couldn’t because of the pressure. Someone had a taser and he held it high, making electric noises and threatening the attackers. He told them to move away. So we could go to the Museum’s military post and deliver her to the soldiers. Then we stood there blocking the people who tried to follow her. We brought her two doctors, first a young male, then an older female. The doctor and Lara were the only women around.”

 

[Divisive Cotton]

There's chatter on Twitter that it is kicking off big time in Alexandria. The people have surrounded the headquarters of the security police who are defending their building with guns and molotov cocktails. The army has fucked off.

 

[Divisive Cotton]

3arabawy Hossam عمو حسام
The SS building in Fara'na, #Alexandria, under siege is one of the most notorious torture centers. #police #Jan25

3arabawy Hossam عمو حسام
There are numbers of critical injuries among protesters, transferred to El-Meeri Hospital. Among then is Hassan Mostafa of @7ashdAlex. #Left

...

 

[dylans]

There's chatter on Twitter that it is kicking off big time in Alexandria. The people have surrounded the headquarters of the security police who are defending their building with guns and molotov cocktails. The army has fucked off.

The state security building is apparently the headquarters of the Amn Markazi" (secret police) and a notorious arrest and torture centre Revolutionaries have broken in after fighting with police and thugs.

Coming on the day the new PM addresses Tahrir, this is an indication of both the continuing power of the mass movement and of the inability of the state to demobilise this incredible political awakened population. The military have thrown away Mubarak and tried to install Suleiman (Obama's choice) It failed to pacify the masses. So they threw away Suleiman and tried to install Ahmad Shafik. It failed so they threw him away and have been forced to offer Essam Sharaf, a man who actually attended demonstrations. The crowd cheered him and then..... and then.... The people of Alexandria storm the headquarters of the SS!! I think we can assume that if the intention of appointing Shafik was to demobilise this movement, I think it failed

The military regime is staggering under the weight of the roaring power of the Egyptian mass movement. I predict the appointment of Sharif will only inspire this movement to push harder for the rest of their demands, starting with an end to the emergency laws and the release of political prisoners.

Round two is most definately on.

(edited to add. Every person who dismissed the overthrow of Mubarak as "merely a coup" should look long and hard at their analysis of the situation in Egypt because these events are proving that view emphatically wrong)

Edited again to add. hundreds are reported to be gathering outside the SS headquarters in Giza Cairo. This is no longer people merely demanding the dissolution of the state security apparatus, they are dissolving it themselves, by force

 

[Idris2002]

(I'll delete this if anyone thinks it's inappropriate or flippant, btw)

 

[teqniq]

twitter:

Zeyadsalem Zeyad Salem
by Sandmonkey
State security are shooting again tear gas everywhere #alexandria #egypt #jan25
29 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Zeyadsalem Zeyad Salem
by Sandmonkey
Army is so outnumbered by state security and SS are shooting #jan25 #alexandria #egypt
27 minutes ago

Zeyadsalem Zeyad Salem
by Sandmonkey
Shredded paper being thrown out of SS building army is trying to collect but SS are firing blindly#alexandria #jan25
24 minutes ago

Zeyadsalem Zeyad Salem
by Sandmonkey
Four killed so far #alexandria #egypt #jan25
21 minutes ago

Zeyadsalem Zeyad Salem
by Sandmonkey
Army officer is injured and SS are still in firing #alexandria #egypt #jan25

 

[Divisive Cotton]

kanaafa con o'donnell
Army and SS going head to head in Alex. Shafiq was mubarak's man. Army removed Shafiq & shit hits fan. #Egypt #Jan25

interesting take on events. I wonder if today the the old regime actually woke up and smelt the coffee that there might be some real change in Egypt

 

[Divisive Cotton]

Zeyadsalem Zeyad Salem
Things are calmer now we are forming a human shield with army to retrieve papers undestroyed #alexandria #egypt #jan25

...

 

[teqniq]

Paper-shredding fest inside police building

3arabawy Hossam عمو حسام
From inside SS headquarters in Alexandria. The pigs were trying to destroy documents b4 the building was stormed http://yfrog.com/gyjd1kgj

 

[Crispy]

shredded paper can be reassembled when scanned into a computer - keep hold of that stuff!

 

[butchersapron]

In the Iranian revolution the carpet weavers wove loads of shredded documents back together.

 

[dylans]

In the Iranian revolution the carpet weavers wove loads of shredded documents back together.

There used to be a little book shop near the American Embassy in Tehran which sold little books made up of copies of the rewoven Embassy documents. I bought a few and still have them somewhere.