Reply #88: Tripoli Green Square Reality Check

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Tripoli Green Square Reality Check
Tue Jul 19, 2011 at 01:06 PM PDT
by Clay Claiborne

...
As the battle for control of Libya rages on the battlefields another important battle has taken place in the realm of the media for the claim of legitimacy based on popular support among the Libyan people.

In this realm, the centerpiece of Qaddafi's claims to popular support has been a series of mass rallies in Tripoli on June 17th, July 1st and July 8th. In each of these occasions the pro-Qaddafi folks have stated that 1.7 million Libyans rallied for Qaddafi in Tripoli's Green Square. For example:

Pro-Qaddafi Rally Draws 1.7 million: 1/4 of the Population
...

Now others reporting on these pro-Qaddafi protests have estimated much lower numbers for these crowds, in the range of 10,000 to 30,000. It has also been said that the majority of those in attendance had some relation to Qaddafi security forces, approximately 10% of the Libya population has such an association. It has also been reported that many of the Qaddafi supporters were not from Tripoli at all but have been bused in from out-of-town, that they were paid to show up, or threatened if they failed to show up.

So there have been a lot of questions about the accuracy of these reports.

I got to wondering if it was even possible for 1.7 million people "the world's largest demonstration" to fit in Tripoli's Green Square and as it turns out it's not.

more... http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/19/996082/-Tripoli-Green-Square-Reality-Check?via=blog_511082

Great piece with info on crowd estimation and some details of the production of misleading crowd video. Clay Claiborne has quite a few good DKos dairies.