Yemeni protesters storm U.S. embassy in Sanaa-witnesses

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Reuters

DUBAI, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Yemeni demonstrators stormed the U.S. embassy in Sanaa on Thursday in protest at a film deemed blasphemous to Islam, and security guards tried to hold them off by opening fire in the air, witnesses said.

They said the demonstrators smashed windows of the security offices outside the embassy before breaking through the main gate of the heavily fortified compound in eastern Sanaa. Security guards opened fire and there were reports of casualties on both sides but no details were immediately available.

Read more: http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL5E8KD4DV20120913

---

Issues persist into Thursday in Egypt too :

There have also been clashes in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

On Wednesday, demonstrators in Cairo angry at the film - Innocence of Muslims - breached the walls of the US embassy and tore down the flag. Clashes continued in the early hours of Thursday morning.

President Mohammed Mursi has appealed for calm, saying Egyptians "reject any kind of assault or insult" against the Prophet Muhammad.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19584734

[Grown2Hate]

1. Holy shit, here we go... NT

[Webster Green]

2. Wing nuts have engineered a September Surprise.

Is Rove involved in this shit somehow?

This is going to backfire on them.

[caveat_imperator]

5. It wouldn't surprise me.

If nixon could get away with treason, then rove and his masters would be more than willing to try it as well.

[Drunken Irishman]

7. Sorry, but if that's the case, it's the dumbest, most idiotic surprise ever...

Mitt Romney's weakest numbers come on foreign policy. Every day that isn't spent talking about the economy is a massive loss for his campaign. The fact foreign affairs are dominating the discussion only two months out of the election can only be seen as a huge loss for Romney.

If Rove and Republicans are stupid enough to take their weakest issue and softball it to Obama ... then I think we've totally overestimated Rove's ability in the past.

[amandabeech]

3. MSNBC by Willie Geist showing attack on U.S. embassy in Yemen.

They're at the gate and trying to get over the wall. MSNBC showed a video clip. I thought that I saw fire somewhere.

It really doesn't look good. I hope our embassy staff are holed up at home or in a safe house.

[Grown2Hate]

4. Seems like our embassies and consulates should have PANIC rooms (especially in the Middle East). NT

[Drunken Irishman]

6. Looks like they got 'em out of the area.

[oldsarge54]

8. Freedom without Responsibility

Tell me again that it is a constitutional right, to create, with malice aforethought, "free speech" designed to get Americans killed. Just like that idiot preacher who burned the Koran as a church sponsored event, with full media attention, claimed that American killed and wounded "weren't his responsibility." It is idiots like this abusing the Bill of Rights that are destroying the Constitution .

[Cha]

9. These protesters need to get a freaking clue that the Obama

Admin embassy people are not the hate filled faux "christians" who put out this propaganda bullshite!

Are they as brainwashed as faux-limbaugh suckers in America?

[glowing]

10. Are we being told about the true reasons of agitation?

Seriously! I would think the people in the region would be more upset about Anerican drone strikes, the Palestinian/ Israeli conflict that is still aflame, and the embargoes placed on their countries that, unfortunately, create economic uncertainty down to the people and not so much in those in charge, who often run the media outlets claiming the Americans are the blame.

Also, I would think people are upset about new torture videos from CIA, the many displaced and killed innocents from our weapons. It's not as if we have a great track record of being the noble liberators our media would like to portray us as.

That video is old. Many of the youth are tech savvy enough to twitter, but no tech savy enough to realize its just 1 idiotic man stirring the shit pot?

[Swede Atlanta]

14. I don't know the specifics of this film but.............

There are a large number of men, especially younger men, in the Middle East that have been taught and have learned to hate the U.S.

They learn to hate the big Satan in Islamic schools and then see some of that justified in the unjustified invasion of Iraq, treatment of prisions at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo, etc.

These recent attacks have likely nothing to do with the film. I'm sure these national networks are linked through social media, etc. They have been looking for a reason to attack and they are using the film as a reason, an excuse.

[Rustycup]

15. I agree seems like the movie is the effect

but not the cause....it is like the straw that broke the camels back. Think of the other Muslim countries not protesting as there is always hate. I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't being flamed anyway. Guarantee we will see Cheney coming out of his hole to talk.

[BlueMTexpat]

11. Yes.

Despite what we may think, the US doesn't have a corner on ALL the idiots in the world.

And idiots who are teleguided by religious zealots - whatever "religion" they profess - are the worst.

[Cha]

13. Yeah, I know we don't

have the idiots cornered. I guess it was kind of rhetorical..it just seems really strange that they're attacking American Embassys and those people are getting killed when it's Terry Jones and his ilk who are instigating this anti-Muslim crap.

Edit.. Unless it is al qaeda who are just using this as an excuse for their own agenda?

[BlueMTexpat]

16. US embassies and consulates are the only visible symbols of America

where "soft target" US citizens are certain to be found. The innocent always suffer disproportionately from the misdeeds of the guilty.

Just as ALL Arabs and Muslims were unfairly tainted by 9-11 (the overwhelming majority of them were NOT involved, completely innocent and indeed sympathized with us all), so long as anti-Muslim crap is associated with ANY US citizen, EVERY US citizen is at risk.

This is exactly why inflammatory and intentionally provocative rhetoric should indeed have severe legal consequences. It should not be defended as "free speech." It endangers us all.

[Cha]

36. Good Answer, BlueMTexpat..thanks!

Excellent.

[BlueMTexpat]

17. Adding fire to the flames are these

consistently changing reports about "Israeli Jews" and "Egyptian Copts" - putting even more communities at risk.

This story gets crazier by the minute.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. A tiny minority are. But there's a LOT of people in the Middle East who aren't even religious,...

....many call themselves "Muslim" just like many in America call themselves "Christians" even though they never go to church for anything but weddings and funerals.

[cilla4progress]

26. That's what I'm thinking

As detestable as that amateur movie sounds, c'mon folks, get a clue, there is no connection to our brave and in most cases supportive diplomatic corps in those countries. Esp. with Obama's worldview and policies.

Clearly, there is more going on there - raging anger, inequality, probably poverty. And yes, perhaps brainwashing.

Honestly, I have no patience with this misdirected anger, violence.

This demonstrates what happens when the lid comes off religious extremism. It presages what could happen anywhere - including US - when "religion" runs amok, and is used and abused to lead people around by the nose, for its leaders' own end.

[dipsydoodle]

18. Same link has now been updated by Reuters using different headline.

U.S. embassies attacked in Yemen, Egypt after Libya envoy killed. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/09/13/uk-film-protests-idUKBRE88C0IU20120913

[Bosonic]

19. Additional activity at Cairo embassy

Milling crowds/billowing smoke (live video link)

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nbcnews.com/49016559#49016559

[oberliner]

20. The is insanity - it's a fricking POS movie!

And barely that.

[dipsydoodle]

21. Note this bit too in the AP link

"American actors and actresses who appeared in "Innocence of Muslims" issued a joint statement Wednesday saying they were misled about the project and alleged that some of their dialogue was crudely dubbed during post-production."

[oberliner]

23. That is interesting

Also it seems that almost no one has actually seen the movie - only these little crude YouTube clips.

[emilyg]

22. I don't think it's

about the movie. That's just an excuse.

[slackmaster]

24. The anger is misdirected. The US government had nothing to do with the production of that film.

Ignorant people doing crazy things, again.

[onecent]

25. Do people in these cities have jobs???? They are so full of anger,

I just wonder if they don't need a diversion..like a job to go to....
Jesus...all you see is fighting in the streets..never any restaurants, businesses,
children...or women for that matter.

I am so tired of watching our world and the people in it destroy each other over NOTHING.
religeon?
Money?
greed?
what?

[cilla4progress]

27. Ditto

[Posteritatis]

34. Actually, no, a lot of the time

A huge demographic problem in the Arab world is a very young population - probably half that of the US or Canada - with very high unemployment (twenty, thirty, fifty percent in places).

You're also seeing cherrypicked coverage - people going to restaurants or shopping isn't newsworthy - but the demographics are a major problem.

[kickysnana]

28. "so I'm pretty sure these people stormed the embassy over a movie they haven't even SEEN.... "

Comment from a Facebook friend who got back on Sunday from spending a month in Yemen visiting family:

"There's hardly ever any electricity in Yemen, and at least 98% of the people don't own a computer, so I'm pretty sure these people stormed the embassy over a movie they haven't even SEEN.... "

[dipsydoodle]

29. It was criticism by those who had seen it

which spread by word of mouth which gave rise to the unrest.

[kickysnana]

37. And who made sure it spread? Who is working against the Administration? n/t

[dipsydoodle]

30. UK TV. News is showing live footage from Cairo.

Its escalating even further, likely to continue through the night. and get even worse after Friday prayers. The Embassy is now apparently surrounded with barbed wire.

[Marrah_G]

31. we need to get the heck out of the middle east

These people do not even know what they are trying to kill other human being for. You can't fight that kind of ignorance.

Pull out, stop giving them money.

We can't afford another war that will end up doing absolutely nothing except deplete our funds and kill our young men and women.

Iraq is worse off.

Afghanistan is not changed in any positive way.

Leaving our marines and embassey staff as targets for violent mobs is insanity.

Pull them all out, fix our own country instead.

[rachel1]

33. +1 Most people don't appreciate foreign powers meddling in their

domestic affairs.

[Why Syzygy]

32. Religion and Violence

sitting in a tree. Ki-s-s-i-n-g. What a shock.

[struggle4progress]

35. Protesters shot dead as mob storms embassy

YEMENI police shot dead four protesters and wounded 34 others when they opened fire on a crowd attempting to storm the US embassy in Sanaa to protest a film mocking Islam, a security official says.

The White House, meanwhile, says it is doing everything it can to protect its diplomats in Yemen, where witnesses report that roads leading to embassy are closed and the area is now calm.

"Four people were killed and 34 others were wounded in the clashes that lasted from morning until late in the evening" in the area around the US embassy in Sanaa, the official said, adding that eight of them were "seriously injured".

Witnesses said that police forces fired live rounds of tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters as troops were deployed on rooftops of buildings surrounding the mission ...

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/protesters-shot-dead-as-mob-storms-embassy/story-e6frea7u-1226473832494