Mubarak, a freaking regime
Pro-reform activists -mostly Muslim Brotherhood but also socialists, labor party and others- gathered today to show solidarity with judges Mekki and Bastawisy who face charges for reporting September 05 presidential elections’ violations. 188 men and women were arrested during the past few weeks and still today’s number of arrests not verified. Activist sources say 237 while government says 72.
The protest was planned to be at the High Court where the judges hearing takes place. Yet ALL the streets leading to it were completely sealed with thousands of uniformed and plain-cloth police. Accordingly, protests springed in at least 3 different places, I witnessed two of which.
At 10 am around 700 activists started chanting “judges put your strength together – rescue us from the tyrants”, “freedom freedom where are you – Emergency status between us and you”, “Down Down Mubarak”, “Join a line beside a line – tomorrow the hundred becomes a thousand”, “revolution revolution till victory arrives – revolution in all Egypt’s streets and alleys”. The footsteps and strong voices shook the down-town Talaat Harb street in front of Al Amreicaine coffee shop. The protest was heading towards High Court but was forced to divert to a side street before it was violently disbursed.
You can watch a 17 MB video of Talaat Harb protest here
The protest however did not last more than 15 minutes. While thousands of uniformed state security with batons, sticks and shields sealed the main and side streets, plain cloth police – well built men in their twenties – spread among protestors pulling out activists and carrying them to the side walk where they were severely and continuously beaten each by almost 5 security men before they were carried away for detention. I crossed the street seconds before the corner I was standing on was used to beat a protestor. From the other side I took the below photo. I looked around and could trust no one or find refugee in anyone. I started worrying for the camera. Chaos, sounds of slaps, screams, feet strongly hitting the ground, people running – many people running in different directions, a male voice screaming advising protestors “don’t run”. Everything around me is suddenly all male violence for minutes before I find my female friends. One of our friends said “they pushed them to the side street and beating is continuing there – come and see, they are pushing them to building entrances”. I was afraid to go. I said we must leave this place. The place was no more recogonisable to me. I felt completely displaced and wherever I looked, there were people I thought to be secret police. All same age. All look somehow similar. Talkie walkies buzzing I don’t know from where. It was all so insane. Nothing made sense anymore.
None of the men who were beaten was left. I can not say how bad are their injuries but some were obviously bleeding. They were loudly screaming while each was completely circled by the disguised police. I was able to see 5 arrests.
Reporters were calling me saying they are unable to reach where we are. The few who were on site were roughed up, pushed violently and threatened of arrests and cameras confiscation.
As they were about to arrest Josh, 3 plain cloth young people (apparently educated with some rank) came asking for my ID and asked me to leave at once or else I will face same trouble with him. After some rising tension they let him go.
We walked amidst this endless tension – sealed streets with no cars and hundreds of disguised police with their talkie walkies buzzing. A protestor called saying we should go home immediately as violence is extending to all the side streets and the beatings continue out of sight. Despite all this, in Adly street springs another protest of almost 50 people chanting and raising posters reading “Egypt’s pharmacists support Egypt’s judges”, “You Mubarak responsible for Egypt’s bankruptcy – what are you doing with our Money”. Posters were signed by Kefaya, the Nasserits and pharmacists.
I stood beside Al-Jazeera cameraman to take these photos. Before 10 minutes elapsed the same scenario happened again. The cameraman was pulled off the stool he was standing on, almost five plain cloth police were beating him severely while he bent with his whole body to protect the camera. As I walked away I heard a woman at the back screaming. She was also surrounded by the same disguised police. Turns out she is a foreign reporter who comes out in a very red face saying they slapped her.
It was getting more and more crazy. Some people entered Metro movie theatre while I went Excelsior. I tried to get out couple of times but whenever I came out plain cloth people would follow. I returned and stayed there for an hour.
Phone calls brought news of a protest in Ramsis street and arrests from inside Al Fateh mosque. AP reporter and Reuters photographer were beaten up. Also Al Masry Al Youm photographer Amr Abdallah. I learned that Al Jazeera tape was confiscated and reporters were threatened with arrests.
Judges hearing was postponed to next Thursday May 18th.
***
Yesterday, the freeking regime also supressed a women sit-in infront of judges club. There were around 10 women and 300 policemen. I leave you with the photos, they say it all.
This is only the begining……
Comment by Wess — 2006/05/11 @ 23:39
here, in north america there are some coming events through which we will try to spread out those informations, also i would like to say that some organizing efforts happened among the egyptians in north america upon the attack on the sudanese refugees (our main source of informations was u report noura) ,resulted in formation of the egyptian coalition for justice and democracy who organized 2 demonstrations one in front of the egyptian councilat in montreal and another big demonstration with some sudanese in front of the egyptian embbasy in ottawa, we know that this is not enough..so we are trying to collect more egyptians and combine more efforts on different levels, media, demonstrations and issuing statements to create awareness about what is going on..as the previous comment said it is just a begining
Comment by amir aziz — 2006/05/12 @ 0:07
It is the end of the rediem ,history tell us that this is what happen every time such regiem come to an end ,it’s there last move ,then it will come the end
Comment by aly aly — 2006/05/12 @ 19:51
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
أسأل الله العلي القدير أن يكشف الغمة وينصر الأمة
منك لله يا حسني يا مبارك
على كل اللي عملته في بلدنا
منك لله
ما قرتيشي مرة سيرة سيدنا عمر رضي الله عنه
منك لله يا شيخ
بكرة تموت وتترمي في التراب زي الكلب
ساعتها ما حدش هينفعك
يوم لا ينفع مال ولا بنون
الحق نفسك واتقي الله واستغفره يمكن يغفر ذنوبك
يا راعي لو كنت لسه فاكر ان فيه ربنا وفيه موت وحساب اعمل لكده
Comment by أحمد — 2006/05/13 @ 8:08
It’s amazing you came out of this in one piece. Thanks God. I think Hosni’s days are numbered. This a desperate regime having a fit with the last breaths.
Comment by Hope — 2006/05/13 @ 21:36
Excellent and Important document for a serious situation in Cairo’s streets. Wish you same luck in future reports. I forwarded it to some friends who are interested to be informed about the freedom of media and respect of human rights in Egypt.
MN- Brazil
Comment by Mostafa Nosseir — 2006/05/14 @ 17:52
أين هو الأمن؟
ما يحدث في مصر في الأسبوعين السابقين يؤكد تداعي وأنهيار وتفسخ النظام الغاشم الجاثم على صدر مصر منذ أكثر من ربع قرن مستندا الى قانون الطوارئ. فعندما يصاب نظام ما بالصرع وفقدان العقل والأتزان ، ويصطدم بكل طوائف الشعب بهذا الأسلوب الهمجي والغبي ، أضافة الى كونه أصلا فاقدا لأهليته وضميره ووطنيته وبعده الشعبي والقومي بالأساس ، فأنه يصبح خارجا على الشعب وبالتالي خارجا على القانون والشرعية ، لأن الشعب هو الشرعية ، والدستور ينص على أنه مصدر السلطات.
لطالما صبّر المصريون أنفسهم على فساد نظام مبارك الفاشي ، تذرعا بأستتباب الأمن مرة وطلبا للبعد عن وجع الرأس مرة أخرى، ولكن أية أمن هذا وجموع الناس مهددة بالسّحل والقتل وهتك العرض والأعتقال والتعذيب والتنكيل وكل مافي قواميس الدنيا من هوان وبؤس وإضطهاد. أين هو الأمن والناس لم تعد تأمن من غول الجوع أووطأة المرض ، وغاب الأمل في الغد لدى السواد الأعظم من الشباب المتكدس أمام السفارات الأجنبية أملا في الهروب من الجحيم الذي يفتك بهم في وطنهم ، فأذا ما فاض بهم الحال من طرد السفارات لهم ، القوا بأنفسهم الى البحر ليفترسهم أو فجروا أنفسهم في الطرقات بعبوات من البارود والمسامير؟ أين هذا الأمن والناس بين رحى الأفقار والإذلال من ناحية وسيف البطش المسلط على أعناقهم ليل نهار من ناحية أخرى؟ أين هذا الأمن والدولة بكل مؤسساتها ومقوماتها وقيمها تنهار أمام أعين الجميع ، وساءت الأخلاق وفسدت الذمم ، واستشرى الفساد في كل شئ مثل النار في الهشيم؟ أين هو الأمن وقد تحولت الشرطة والجيش معا الى أمن مركزي يحمي النظام من الشعب بعد أن كانت مهمتهم هي حماية الشعب وصون كرامته؟
من الذي خان الشعب وخيب أماله وأصبح كالسرطان الذي ينبغي إستئصاله؟
أن مبارك وعصابة الحزب الوطني (أو بالأصح الخزي الوطني) قد فقدوا عقولهم وهم يرون كراهية الجماهير للنظام ولأسرة مبارك يزداد كل يوم ، وأن كراسيهم ومصالحهم ومصالح أسيادهم من الصهاينة باتت مهددة ، وأن دون أتمام ثمثيلية التوريث الغبية دماء وأرواح الآلاف من هذا الشعب الأبي.
عندما تيقن مبارك وعصابة “الخزي الوطني” من أستحالة التوريث ، أسوة بسوريا، لأن أسرة مبارك ليست مماثلة لأسرة الأسد وأن أشتركوا في الجبروت والبطش ، وظروف مصر ومعطياتها ليست مثل ظروف سوريا ، عندما تيقن لهم ذلك فقدوا عقولهم ، وهان عليهم هذا الوطن ودماء أبنائه ، وهذا ليس بمستغرب منهم ، فلطالما خانوا الشعب ومصوا دماء أبنائه وتحالفوا مع أعدائه. لذلك تراهم يمارسون سياسة الأرض المحروقة ويلعبون بالنار التي تكاد أن تلتهم الوطن.
أن قاطن شرم الشيخ لا يأبه أن يسقط نظامه الفاشي عنوة وبثورة جماهيرية ، مع ما ينطوي عليه ذلك من مخاطر تحيق بالوطن وتهدد بتحويله الى عراق آخر. وهو لن يتخلى عن كرسيه ودوره في العمالة للصهيونية ولو كلف ذلك أرواح جميع أبناء الوطن وتدميره بالكامل. لذلك تراه سادرا في غيه ولا يلق بالا الى زئير الشعب الهادر والذي يكاد أن يقتلع نظامه من جذورة ، ولا إلى نصائح المخلصين للوطن بالأستقالة رغم هذا الكم الهائل من الكراهية له ولأسرته وهو مالم يحدث حتى للملك فاروق في أسوأ أوقاته.
أن غضبة الشعب ستكون وبالا على هؤلاء الذين خانوا أبناءه ، وتحالفوا مع أعداءه وكانوا عارا على جبين الوطن. غير أنه ليست لعنة الشعب هي التي ستحرقهم فقط ، ولكن لعنة التاريخ ستطاردهم أيضا ، ووقتها لن تنفعهم أميريكا ولا الصهاينة ولا الغرب مجتمعين.
اليكم صور العار. عار حزب الخيانة ، حزب “الخزي” الوطني.
http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/Egyptian_Free_Nationalists/photos/browse/dd30
Comment by Morad — 2006/05/15 @ 22:32
Amir Aziz,
Please share with us links and photos of the events you organise there.
My email is nora@norayounis.com
Hope, I don’t think Mubarak(s) days are numbered. At least not yet. We better see it as a long term process. It is true though that efforts for reform and change will not stop even if Mubarak decides that the last year’s dose is enough. THIS is not really his decision. It may take different forms and dynamics but what started can not be reversed.
Comment by Nora — 2006/05/16 @ 13:48
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