Egyptian Secret Police Thugs Are Rampaging Across Cairo In An Attempt To Discredit The Protesters

[Turborama]

Just seen footage, it was vandalism. Why would the protesters break into the museum to vandalize?

There have been no police on the streets of Cairo since this morning (Egypt time).

Apparently gangs of "criminals" are "looting" in the suburbs tonight, while citizens chant "No Looting!"

Armed men riding around on motorbikes stealing stuff.

I strongly suspect this is part of Mubarak's plan to discredit the protesters.

Scenes like this were predicted the other day: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x290311

Live coverage here, reporters explaining what's going on: http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now

ETA:

Reports have confirmed the looting is being done by the secret police in an attempt to discredit the protesters
http://www.google.com/search?q=Reports+have+confirmed+the+looting+is+being+done+by+the+secret+police+in+an+attempt+to+discredit+the+protesters&num=100&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&prmd=ivnsu&tbs=mbl:1&tbo=u&ei=x0dETdqKLYfqrQeR2pVQ&sa=X&oi=realtime_result_group_more_results_link&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q5QUwAA

Mubarak's plain clothed thugs in action...

CNN's Ben Wedeman (#bencnn) sent this series of tweets within the past 20 minutes:

* Came to office by Cairo metro today. People talking about Mubarak as president IN THE PAST TENSE. For most I spoke, Mubarak is gone.

* Almost all police stations ransacked, arsenals looted. Suddenly weapons in the streets wielded by thugs. Where is the army?

* Saw a truckload of riot police leaving Cairo this morning. they looked defeated and scared. people say "they should be"

* Widely believed hated #Egypt police force playing part in the chaos and looting. they've abandoned their posts, in civilian clothes

* In residential areas of Cairo people setting up barricades to protect their streets. Wielding clubs, knives fearing looters.

* Man in Tahrir Square told me "We have fired Mubarak." It's clear from the streets that he's no longer wanted.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/29/latest-developments-in-egypt-protests/

Dennis Donovan's recent OP on this: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x301486">Al Jaz reporting "looters" had police ID cards and gov't issued weapons...

[dipsydoodle]

1. Yes

Probably plain clothes security guys.

I think also that the population are now turning against those guys as did the Iranians in 1979 when they turned against SAVAK.

[cali]

2. I don't know. In every huge crowd

there are usually a few who turn to vandalism and destruction.

[sufrommich]

3. I think so too. I wonder if he's using his police force to try and get

the army to start shooting? So far, they've stayed out of it.

[gateley]

6. I heard that offered as a possibility last night - that's why Mubarak rolled out the

SERIOUS tanks.

[sufrommich]

16. There are also reports on no police presence in Cairo. So

where did they go and what are they being used for?

[gateley]

35. Just heard someone reporting from Cairo that he hadn't see one policeman.

Wonder where the swearing-in took place?

The ott-play ickens-thay. :tinfoilhat:

:hi:

[SoCalDem]

4. mob mentality takes over

people feel "free" to do things they would never do otherwise.

people who have never "had" much, suddenly become overwhelmed with the desire to take something a "rich person" owned/used.. It's a primal thing..

[gateley]

8. I remember watching a guy on TV, middle class businessman, law abiding citizen,

and when there was rioting after 9/11, said all of a sudden he looked down and he was running down the street carrying a TV! He was thinking -- what? I don't even NEED a TV!

True - mob mentality. It must be frightening. all logic and rational decision making abilities go out the window. nt

[Drale]

5. Its probably illegal antiquities dealers or their patsies

when ever their is strife such as what is going on now there is always a group of people who will try to take advantage of it for their own gains.

[sufrommich]

19. The antiquities weren'tbeing stolen, they weredestroyed.nt

[Turborama]

26. Exactly! This reminds me of the sort of underhand tactics that went on in Iran after the election nt

[dkf]

33. Oy. That is sad.

[CJvR]

7. Plenty of reasons...

For thives just a smash and grab of anything looking valuable.
For fundamentalists destroying heathen idols is Allah's will.
For goverment agents for good PR pictures showing the need to restore order.

Then there are just regular assholes who enjoy destruction.

[bklyncowgirl]

18. I agree. These sort of events bring out the best and worst of humanity

I don't know if we need a big conspiracy theory to explain this. It's quite possible that some of the museum guards got spooked and ran from the crowds leaving the place and its treasures vulnerable.

These sort of events bring out the best and worst of humanity.

An example of the best--the people who formed a human chain to protect the museum.

The worst--the thugs who broke in and smashed priceless antiquities.

It could have been much worse.

[Turborama]

9. Reports have confirmed the looting is being done by the secret police in an attempt to discredit

"Reports have confirmed the looting is being done by the secret police in an attempt to discredit the protesters"
http://www.google.com/search?q=Reports+have+confirmed+the+looting+is+being+done+by+the+secret+police+in+an+attempt+to+discredit+the+protesters&num=100&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&prmd=ivnsu&tbs=mbl:1&tbo=u&ei=x0dETdqKLYfqrQeR2pVQ&sa=X&oi=realtime_result_group_more_results_link&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q5QUwAA

[cali]

11. oh come on. A tweet saying that is hardly evidence.

We don't know who's doing it.

[Turborama]

17. I'm going to go with the possibility the secret police are playing a part in this

It was very strange seeing no uniformed police on the streets of Cairo all day and now tonight.

[cali]

20. of course it's a possiblity, but we just don't know.

[snooper2]

10. There are human trash in every society...

All it takes is what, 10 people out of 100's of thousands

[glowing]

12. Some of those museums house the worlds most sought after treasuries.

They are priceless artifacts that could quickly make a buck. Some people will use occassions to do shitty things... Kind of like Wallstreet and bankers stealing from the treasury and walking away with bonuses... It isn't right no matter who does it, but it will happen anyway. Look at what happened in Iraq. So many priceless artifacts and historical sites loote and bombed and destroyed or made "underground" because there are always people in everyone's society that are me, me, me people. Most people, in general, do have moral values and want an improved society within those crowds... They do not want their national treasuries looted or destroyed... It belongs to the people for all to enjoy.

[Cerridwen]

13. "secret police...attempt[ing] to discredit protesters."

mariouma16 RT @Jnoubiyeh: Reports have confirmed the looting is being done by the secret police of #Mubarak in an attempt to discredit the protesters. #Egypt #Jan25

--------

There are a lot of "reports" of that starting to come in. Along with "reports" of "mob" rule and other such loaded "reports" and language.

Take it for what it's worth...for now.

[social_critic]

21. It's profitable to steal

I think it's just profit motive. Whenever there is mob action, people come out to steal TV sets. But the museum is a fatter target, they got golden masks worth millions of dollars. if the government isn't protecting the museum then it's just being irresponsible.

[EFerrari]

22. Someone on AJe pointed out that Suez is a very poor city. n/t

[backscatter712]

14. Possibly genuine looters, but also police provocateurs trying to discredit the protesters.

My bet is that it was provocateurs.

[whirlygigspin]

15. the government planned it

I saw this a few days ago on some twitter posts...the government let loose some thugs to discredit the protestors.

Perhaps you can ask yourself why the police and army spend all their energy trying to stop peaceful protestors from taking over government buildings while standing by and doing nothing when they see looters.

Strange no?

pure bullshit

[CJvR]

25. Simple!

No amount of museum looting will topple the regime, storming ministries will.

[no_hypocrisy]

23. A group with a purpose can sometimes turn into a "mob" with a life of its own.

And those individuals follow the actions of the mob without thinking of the reason or ethics of those actions.

[FLPanhandle]

24. There will always be a segment of the population that will take advantage of chaos

The simplest explanation is usually correct.

[WestSeattle2]

29. Exactly. Of course one could argue that the prudent thing for

any government to do when civil unrest is likely or is occurring, is to protect the nation's assets. Allowing mobs to vandalize and steal national treasures seems to indicate either an abdication of responsibility, or an intended purpose for allowing it to occur. No one can reasonably argue that "we had no idea this would occur." Well, Condi Rice and shrub would try, but again, reasonable people would not offer that argument because everyone older than 15 knows it will. Like you said, there will always be a segment of the population that will take advantage of chaos.

[Dennis Donovan]

27. The Antiquities Museum is the pride of the Egyptian people...

...much like our own Smithsonian Institution. Whomever vandalized the Antiquities Museum was either paid (or ordered) to do so or not Egyptian, IMO.

[Turborama]

28. "Not even any traffic police on the roads"

Now why would that be? Why would ALL the police in this huge police state just vanish like that? :shrug:

[Lint Head]

30. Mubarak wants the protestors to look bad. There is no better way than to let

things get out of hand. There would then be a reason for a total crack down. Destroying antiquities would piss people off all over the world and show the protesters in a bad light. Government politicians are all cynical beasts.

[justiceischeap]

31. "the army were beating looters at the museum. Stopped when the looters said they were police."

From Tweeter in Cairo:

@dancefromiraq Louis B Lewarne
A doctor at Tahrir "the army were beating looters at the museum. Stopped when the looters said they were police." #jan25

http://twitter.com/#!/dancefromiraq/status/31400141269237760

[Turborama]

32. Just seen that one. I thought these stories stank from the offset.

A doctor at Tahrir "the army were beating looters at the museum. Stopped when the looters said they were police."
http://www.google.com/search?q=A+doctor+at+Tahrir+%22the+army+were+beating+looters+at+the+museum.+Stopped+when+the+looters+said+they+were+police.%22&num=100&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&prmd=ivnsu&tbs=mbl:1&tbo=u&ei=Rk1ETfrIIYPYrQe90cRY&sa=X&oi=realtime_result_group_more_results_link&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ5QUwAA

[dkf]

34. Well there must be a way to find out the truth.

Will we never know?

[Dennis Donovan]

36. rec'd and kick

[Agony]

37. Kick nt

[Odin2005]

38. The fucking pigs were looting the museum! FUCKERS!

[lpbk2713]

39. Ah, so Egypt has a Republican Party too huh?

One would think so. This is a tactic right out of their play book.

[Turborama]

40. "All this seems to be prearranged. They are punishing us for asking for this change,"

Naglaa Mahmoud, a Maadi resident, told the Associated Press that thugs were breaking cars and threatening to get into homes. She said even the ambulance service in the neighbourhood had abandoned their offices and accused the regime of planning the chaos by pulling out all of its police forces.

"All this seems to be prearranged. They are punishing us for asking for this change," she said. "What a shame he (Mubarak) doesn't care for the people or anything. This is a corrupt regime."

=snip=

The museum is home to priceless ancient artifacts, some dating back 5,000 years. Many artefacts lay damaged on the floor, but officials said nothing had been stolen.

Before the army arrived, young Egyptians - some armed with truncheons grabbed off the police - created a human chain at the museum's front gate to prevent looters from making off with any of the artefacts.

More: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/2011129175926266521.html

[Turborama]

41. Eyewitnesses say state sponsoring vandalism

Source: almasryalyou

Eyewitnesses say state sponsoring vandalism

Thugs looting residential neighborhoods and intimidating civilians are government-hires, say eyewitnesses.

In Nasr City, an Eastern Cairo neighborhood, residents attempting to restore security told Al-Masry Al-Youm that looters were caught yesterday.

“They were sent by the government. The government got them out of prison and told them to rob us,” says Nameer Nashaat, a resident working alongside other youths to preserve order in the district. “When we caught them, they said that the Ministry of Interior has sent them.”

In Masr al-Qadeema, another district, scrap metal dealer Khaled Barouma, confirmed the same account. “The government let loose convicts. They let them out of prisons. We all know them in this neighborhood,” he said, adding that the neighborhood’s youth is trying to put the place in order by patrolling its streets with batons.


From kpete's OP in LBN: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4715278

[sarcasmo]

42. CIA tactics.

[bemildred]

43. A bit late for that tactic.

Ruling elites, always fat dumb and happy, are surprised by when things go "out of control".

[Turborama]

44. Central Cairo last night

Not a cop in sight...