Violence has erupted in Cairo, initiated by pro-Mubarak forces
by Joe Sudbay (DC) on 2/02/2011 08:49:00 AM
UPDATE @ 9:38 AM: CNN Is reporting that the Egyptian Army has entered Tahrir Square and tear gas has been fired. Also, men on horses and camels have been attacking the pro-democracy protesters.
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When demands for Mubarak's departure grew louder from from an even bigger crowd, he dug his nails in deeper, staking his claim to the few remaining months in his tenure of torture and intimidation of the Egyptian people.
As his intransigence stretched out, so did the protests and the risk of chaos grew. It was easy to predict, as I did in a Twitter post, that Mubarak was waiting for mayhem to ensue naturally, due to the inevitable food and fuel shortages, so he could step in to "restore order".
But the people's resolve for freedom, civil liberties, and government transparency could not be conquered by exhaustion or hunger.
Now we see that Mubarak's latest tactic is to send in armed gangs, mostly from his notorious police force, to ignite riots.more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-abulhawa/mubarak-destroying-egypt-_b_817375.html..
The situation in Cairo has turned ugly. Sounds like Mubarak has sent his thugs to wreak havoc. Al Jazeera's live blog is providing up-to-date coverage here. This is one of the latest updates:
3:27pm Al Jazeera reporting that more than 100 people have been injured in the past hour after suspected government supporters, including plain clothed policemen, entered Tahrir Square and attacked anti-Mubarak demonstrators.
And, here's the article from Al Jazeera:
Earlier, witnesses said thousands of pro-Mubarak supporters had entered the square. Opposition groups said Mubarak had sent in thugs to suppress the protest.
Also in Cairo, Al Jazeera's Jane Dutton, said that "hundreds of anti-government supporters were running from the square, including many women and children".
Fighting took place around army tanks deployed around the square, with stones bouncing off the armoured vehicles. Soldiers did not intervene.
Several groups were involved in fist fights, and some were using clubs. The opposition also said many among the pro-Mubarak crowd were policemen in plainclothes.
"Members of security forces dressed in plain clothes and a number of thugs have stormed Tahrir Square," three opposition groups said in a statement.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201122124446797789.htmlCNN's Anderson Cooper was in the middle of the mayhem. He also reported that the military is just standing by, not doing anything. And, Anderson reported he got punched in the head "ten times or so."
http://www.americablog.com/2011/02/violence-has-erupted-in-cairo-initiated.htmlMubarak chose to attack his own people. He's been doing that for decades. But, this time, the whole world is watching.