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Egypt anti-government protests grow

butchersapron said:
The rhythm of this stuff, i just can't get it.
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It's a call for action on the anniversary of an government - usually a good move. Hardly ever done in Britain - 'You've had exactly X years of government and achieved nothing, give up, resign'

I'm no expert but it looks like an attempt for other parties to try and get goodies from Morsi's government as the price of calling away their supporters, and an attempt for Salafists and liberals/El Baradei/Sabbahi/National Salvation Front and others to try and take the mantle of main opposition.

Goodness knows how strong or successful it will be.
 
Here's what the Guardian think about the upcoming protests:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/27/egyptian-activists-hope-revolution-morsi


Opposition activists claim an unverifiable 15 million Egyptians have signed a petition demanding Morsi's removal, and expect a significant proportion of that number to take to the streets on 30 June. There have already been outbreaks of fighting in two cities, where Morsi's still-sizeable support base has launched counter-protests. As a result, many opposition actors hope the army, who deployed armoured vehicles on Cairo's streets on Wednesday, will be forced to intervene and facilitate a transition of power.

A senior military source told the Guardian on Thursday that the army did not want to intervene. But they stated that if Sunday's protests were as widespread and prolonged as those that drove Egypt's 2011 uprising, and if serious fighting broke out between Morsi's supporters and his opponents, then the army may regard the protests as a more legitimate representation of the people's will than the elections that brought Morsi to office a year ago – and would step in to facilitate a transition of power to a technocratic caretaker government.

The eventual scale of the protests nevertheless remains uncertain, and could yet prove highly exaggerated. But some of Morsi's opponents are convinced 30 June will be as pivotal as the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

"It's a second revolution," claimed Ahmed Said, a leader of the National Salvation Front (NSF), the secular opposition's largest coalition. "The semi-final was played on 25 January 2011. This is the final. I don't know how long it will take, but Morsi's going to go – and Egypt will never be the same after the 30th."

But protesters may have underestimated the size of Morsi's support, as well as the lethargy of Egypt's silent majority – many of whom may have been won over by Morsi's earthy speech to the nation on Wednesday night. Though recent polls suggested his popularity had halved since last autumn, his core following remains strong, and can mobilise just as easily as his opponents. At least 100,000 Islamists gathered in east Cairo last Friday to recognise Morsi's democratic legitimacy – and will do so again this week. They suggest his critics put their energy into campaigning for parliamentary elections, which are expected to be held in the next six months.
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Well there has always been a very visible middle class liberal element, somewhat magnified by english language reporting that is searching for leaders of the revolution and seeking to mostly ignore the workers strikes side of things. The size of the protests on Sunday should offer some strong clues as to how many outside that group are still willing to struggle in the mass protest format and seek the rapid departure of Morsi.
 
There appear to be demos happening mainly in Alexandria and Cairo some of which have turned violent - there are reports of at least one death. Lots of people on Twitter seem very depressed, worried and unsure how things will turn out.
 
teqniq said:
There appear to be demos happening mainly in Alexandria and Cairo some of which have turned violent - there are reports of at least one death. Lots of people on Twitter seem very depressed, worried and unsure how things will turn out.
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Islamists have taken their revenge on the liberals firing from the roof of a building in Iskandariya-Alexandria onto unarmed protestors. A very bloody day.
 
'Picking a side' in a simplistic manner is going to be even more of a challenge this time:

Police officers and former military personnel assembled outside the ministry of defence in Cairo in opposition to Mr Morsi's rule and called for the military to take power again.
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Media crackdown by the state:

Within hours ripples from the speech could be felt across Egyptian media.

A talk show on the al-Fareen TV channel ended abruptly on Thursday night when the presenter learned he was to be arrested. Host and owner Tawfiq Okasha is accused of spreading false information, and the channel has ceased broadcasting.
Another prominent presenter resigned on air on state-run television in protest at what he called government interference in the editorial content of his programme.
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Tawfiq Okasha and his channel have been in trouble before. Think he first came to the attention of this forum due to some of his rabid tweets. Not exactly a Morsi or MB fan.

Above quotes are from a broader BBC piece about the protests and violence so far. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23092817
 
Last few weeks have brought old stuff right back into play. I need to get back up to speed very quickly. I think this is a lesson for the turkey thread as well - the army doesn't 'go away'.
 
Is it the slogan though? People have had as sit to demand the army take over for ages now. Doesn't mean everyone out today is after that. Those that are should be pretty easy to spot.
 
Divisive Cotton said:
this was the article yesterday that first brought to my attention that this is a more complicated clash: http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/12480/back-to-the-margins

Admittedly, this is the opinion of an individual so I'm trying to read what else I can find
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Yep, be careful of this why can't we just have a big democratic space where we can all get along stuff - that article proper annoyed me when i read it this morning. It is complicated, but our side should be pretty clear - morsi falls, weaken the state structures that impose neo-liberalism, re-compose the class structures, scare the army
 
Same updated link:

There is an angry, but upbeat, mood at the march, and participants are alternating between chants of "down with the regime" and "I am not a Kafir (Infidel), I am not an atheist, down with the supreme guide’s rule."
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(MB's have accused protesters of atheism mingled with being a foreigner)

This is the Mostafa Mahmoud march headed to Tahrir Square.
 
We only see Egyptian protests in the UK media when they turn violent or when they are so big they can't be ignored.

But I would imagine that since 2011 there's lively, angry, determined grassroots activism that happens on a daily basis
 
Divisive Cotton said:
We only see Egyptian protests in the UK media when they turn violent or when they are so big they can't be ignored.

But I would imagine that since 2011 there's lively, angry grassroots activism that happens on a daily basis
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There has been, there has been something like a 1000 independents unions established - there have been occupations, strikes, all sorts. They cover what they think is the tops maneuvering as well.
 
Same link:

The 30 June Front issues a statement sending a message of “respect and pride” in the Egyptian people who are “resuming the January 2011 revolution” and putting it on the right path again "after a year of Muslim Brotherhood failure and attempts to hijack the Egyptian nation and revolution."

The Front asks Egyptian workers to go on strike so that “our legitimate demands might be met and snap elections take place.” It also asked all those who took to the streets today “to keep on protesting in the streets and squares nationwide.”

It asks President Morsi, who they described as having "completely lost his legitimacy [as president],” to quickly respond to the people's will, “which has been loud and clear today nationwide.”
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Don't know if anyone saw the pics of the MB 'self-defence' squads yesterday. This isn't going to go well unless they are swamped and stay swamped.
 
Not really a surprise if there is mass violence. The seems to be an acknowledgement on both sides that the friction over the past year has now come to a head.
 
What's the coverage on al jazeera been like? During 2011 they beat the rest of the news outlets for comprehensive coverage hands down
 
Got to be wary:
Around 26 alleged members of Islamist groups are arrested by security forces at an apartment in Cairo's Moqattam district for possessing weapons, including knives, helmets and bulletproof vests, MENA reports.

MENA also reports that three were arrested in the vicinity of the presidential palace for possessing bladed weapons and firearms.
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