After Day of Protests, Egypt Bans Demonstrations

[Turborama]

Source: NYT

By KAREEM FAHIM and MONA EL-NAGGAR
Published: January 26, 2011

CAIRO —A day after tens of thousands of people marched in opposition to the nearly 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian authorities on Wednesday outlawed any new gatherings, saying protesters faced “immediate” arrest.

The government made the announcement as protesters using social networking sites urged a second day of street demonstrations. The protest ban showed the extent to which the government had been rattled by the scale of the unusually large demonstrations.

“No provocative movements or protest gatherings or organizing marches or demonstrations will be allowed,” the interior ministry said in a statement.

The protests, running into the early hours of Wednesday and seemingly energized by the toppling of the authoritarian government in Tunisia, began small but grew all day on Tuesday, with protesters occupying one of Cairo’s central squares. Security forces, normally quick to crack down on public dissent, initially struggled to suppress the demonstrations, allowing them to swell. But early Wednesday morning, firing rubber bullets and tear gas grenades, the police succeeded in driving groups of demonstrators from the square, as a sit-in was transformed into a spreading battle involving thousands of people and little restraint.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/world/middleeast/27egypt.html?_r=1

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More details, video and photo gallery at the link.

BBC reporting on this crackdown: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12283849

[Inuca]

1. This is likely to explode big time

very soon. Not a Mubarak fan, but major upheaval in that part of the worlk is scary. And Egtpt is not Tunisia.

[TBF]

2. Yes, Egypt is much bigger and this is significant.

Today as you mentioned protesting has been outlawed and Twitter had been blocked by the government. Folks appear to be organizing via Facebook.

http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE70P1G820110126

[snot]

3. See also story here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/26/egypt-protests :

"Egypt protests: 'We ran a gauntlet of officers beating us with sticks'

"Jack Shenker, the Guardian's reporter in Cairo, was beaten and arrested alongside protesters in the capital last night. He made this remarkable recording while locked in the back of a security forces truck next to dozens of protesters. Listen to the audio.

* * * * *

"We were being dragged towards a security building on the edge of the square, two streets away from my apartment, and as I approached the doorway of the building other security officers took flying kicks and punches at me. I spotted a high-ranking uniformed officer and shouted at him that I was a British journalist. He responded by walking over and punching me twice, saying in Arabic, 'Fuck you and fuck Britain'."

More at the link.

[Turborama]

7. Wow, incredible.

Here's the interactive map that came with it: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/jan/26/egypt-protests-shenker-arrest-interactive

Keeping an eye out for the full account they say is on the way.

Thanks for sharing.

[pampango]

4. Of course, protests were banned before the government now bans protests.

Hosni's regime has never been one that encouraged or tolerated opposing points of view. We'll see if this banning of demonstrations is any more effective in the long-run than the previous one.

[Dappleganger]

5. Could this happen in America?

Suspend our 1A rights if we protested this much? You betchya!

[whogasa736]

6. Is Twitter & Facebook still up and running?

I suspect the current events there will be "filtered".

[Turborama]

8. A look back at where it all began.

After Blocking Twitter, Egypt Reportedly Starts Restricting Access To Facebook

Wed Jan-26: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=4711055