“I am sorry, America,” said one such protester. “This is the real Libya.” Early in the day yesterday, thousands of protesters gathered in Libyan streets to denounce the attacks and disown the sentiments of Ansar al-Sharia, the Islamist group suspected of carrying them out. Later in the night, an offshoot of several hundred protesters split off and stormed the Ansar al-Sharia headquarters. They torched a vehicle, but managed to assume control of the compound without firing any shots. Some of those involved claim to have freed 20 captives held inside.
In this short clip, a protester says something to a police officer. Less than two seconds later, he’s on the ground. Again. WTF? (Side note: The NY Post’s headline for this mess? “March Madness.”)
“Not like your daughter or mine”: An Egyptian general, speaking on condition of anonymity, has alleged a heinous violation of the women of Egypt, though he doesn’t see it that way. The general admitted that during protests on March 9th, the military performed “virginity checks” on women. The reason? “We didn’t want them to say we had sexually assaulted or raped them, so we wanted to prove that they weren’t virgins in the first place. None of them were.” It goes without saying that this rationale is nonsensical, disgusting, and beneath the contempt of a modern civil society. General Mamdouh Shaheen has denied these charges. source
The dangers of nightfall in Syria: A sit-in was held in Clock Square, in the city of Homs, but come nightfall the Assad government decided it was time to clear the square. The methods employed seem to be teargas and live gunfire. Be forewarned — while the video is a bit jumpy and hard to see clearly, it’s nonetheless very unpleasant and disturbing. source
Truly heartbreaking video: Al Jazeera English takes us to a hospital in Bahrain, where doctors and medical staff are treating people horribly abused, beaten and teargassed. Many, it seems, have taken to sleeping in the hospital, so fearful are they about being caught up in the violence if they venture outside or return home. source
yemen, boiling over: The vehement protests against Yemeni President Ali Abudullah Saleh have racheted up in recent days, culminating in live rounds being fired on citizens, and the attack of a provincial governor. Naji al-Zaidi was stabbed in the neck with a dagger, as were four of his bodyguards, and was rushed to a hospital from where no further information has been announced. Government forces have deployed teargas against the protesters, and all told about sixty people were injured across Yemen, part of a violent crackdown that President Saleh is employing in a bid to maintain control (h/t pantslessprogressive). source
Demonstrators yell at a bus carrying lawmakers away from the capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin. [WLUK]
He’s not giving in. He’s defiant towards the protesters outside. He isn’t bringing up the collective bargaining issue. He keep using the word “reasonable.” His actions aren’t. Key phrase: “We can’t make a good-faith effort to negotiate when we don’t have any money.”
Their range is very wide, from people who were at the protests or detained for breaking curfew to those who talked back at an army officer or were handed over to the army for looking suspicious or for looking like foreigners even if they were not. It’s unusual and to the best of our knowledge it’s also unprecedented for the army to be doing this.Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights director Hossam Bahgat • Describing the nature of some of the arrests and detainment taking place in Egypt at the moment. Bahgat’s words go against the narrative suggesting that the military is on the side of the people in the current spate of protests, and instead paint a picture that they are in fact taking part in incidents more commonly associated with the country’s notorious state security intelligence. One protester, only offering to go by his first name, Ashraf, put his experience as such: ”I was on a sidestreet and a soldier stopped me and asked me where I was going. I told him and he accused me of working for foreign enemies and other soldiers rushed over and they all started hitting me with their guns.” Harrowing. source (via • follow)
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CNN’s Ivan Watson points out that Ghonim’s release happened without his family’s knowledge.
This Egyptian protester’s middle finger really says it all: Inside this man’s middle finger are the flames of a revolution. Inside this man’s middle finger are the dreams of thousands of Egyptians. Inside this man’s middle finger is all that needs to be said. source
Witnesses saw demonstrators cleaning up the streets of Downtown which were filled with stones, papers and fire remnants.A note from independent Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm • Undercutting the view that Egyptian protesters are violent and radical by noting that they’re actually cleaning up their messes. (thanks NYT) source (via • follow)
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