Tahrir Square, June 28 Post-Script

Yesterday's clashes in Tahrir square were covered here at WHR as breaking news.  A more complete picture of the context and extent of the situation has emerged.

As mentioned in the previous report, the protest began in Cairo as a peaceful demonstration and public mourning by the families of those who have died in the cause of liberating Egypt.  An air of gravity was upon the demonstrators and the martyrs's families as they paid their respects to the coffin of a recent victim, Mahmoud Khaled, who died on Monday.  He passed in hospital, where he has been for 5 months, since he was struck by a racing US Embassy vehicle during the height of unrest on January 28, remembered in Egypt as the "day of rage."  The astonishing incident can be seen in the following video, taken from a rooftop directly above the scene:

The rage the families and friends feel about the fate of their loved ones is understandable.  That they have not received any justice after a "successful" revolution and "policy reforms" by a "transitional phase" government only amplifies their anguish and personal feeling of victimization.  In the above mentioned case, the US Embassy insists the vehicle was stolen, however; Egyptians more and more look upon the foreign and local elites who run their country for their own purposes as one and the same.  Protesters understand well that the storm troopers attacking them in Tahrir square, while perhaps Egyptian by birth, do so with American made tear-gas and foreign weapons, employed through tactics taught by foreign security firms, paid for by foreign "aid" money.

Tear Gas Canister fired at demonstrators - by lilianwagdy

While paying their respects to and demanding justice for the martyrs, demonstrators were met by insults and denied free movement by members of the Central Security Forces.  They were tear gassed and tased.  It likely did not escape many demonstrators that among the CSF members sneering at them could be some of those who are directly responsible for the deaths and maiming of their friends and family members. Nor did it likely escape the CSF that should demonstrators succeed in reforming Egypt, they will find themselves out of job and pay, and possibly on trial for their actions. 

As word of the indignity being paid the demonstrating families began to spread, more and more people began to arrive in front of the Ministry of the Interior and in Tahrir to vent their outrage.  Running and pitched battles in the square and adjacent streets ensued as the CSF attacked the crowds; these battles lasting from before dusk until after dawn this morning.  Many people on the scene have reported on twitter a vengeful attitude by the CSF.  While protesters were pelted with stones and tear gas, they were also taunted and threatened with death over megaphones.  Today it has been reported by Egyptian authorities that more than 1000 demonstrators were injured, and more than 100 hospitalised.

Egyptian activists are calling for justice.  There have been protests specifically against the military courts, which since the fall of Hosni Mubarak continue to condemn protesters, activists, journalists, bloggers, artists and even doctors who have aided or simply spoken in favour of the uprising.  Activists say that without a proper functioning legal system and means of redress, no progress in any other aspect can be made or maintained. The nation will be transfixed tomorrow, Thursday June 30th, as a verdict is delivered in the trial of the 2 officers charged for the infamous beating death of Khaled Said.

The murder of Khaled Said is said to be one of the catalysts of the revolution.  The story and pictures of his body circulated and created outrage after he arrested in an Internet cafe and murdered by police in June of 2010.  The lack of justice for Mr. Said helped compound an ever present anger at authorities, which finally broke loose after Egyptians took the example of the Tunisian revolution.  A facebook group called "We are all Khaled Said" has galvanised and informed the public throughout the revolution.  It is reasonable to expect massive demonstrations in light of last night's unrest if Egyptian courts do not return a verdict finding someone responsible for his murder while in police custody.  This will likely continue into Friday, which is the day of Muslim prayer and the typical day for protests as many Egyptians do not work Fridays.

Egypt is once again on the precipice.


This post is a follow-up on yesterday's coverage, read here:
http://worldheadlinesreview.blogspot.com/2011/06/tahrir-square-tantawi-picks-up-where.html

Wikipedia article about Khaled Said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Khaled_Mohamed_Saeed


We are all Khaled Said facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/elshaheeed.co.uk

June 28th, Tahrir Square in Pictures:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/06/201162915192350772.html

Description of June 28th events by Egyptian activist:
http://theangryegyptian.wordpress.com/2011/06/29/june28-the-second-coming-of-rage/

Tahrir Square: Tantawi picks up where Mubarak left off

Cairo's Tahrir square is once again tonight the scene of ordinary people making extraordinary efforts to free themselves from the militarist rentier regime still in power since the fall of Hosni Mubarak in February.

Earlier today in Tahrir began a protest by families of "martyrs," which in this case refers to those who've died at the hands of Egyptian security forces during the ongoing uprising.  Families are still waiting for justice as there have been no substantial prosecutions or trials of those responsible for the deaths and torture of hundreds if not thousands since the year began.

Media reports are beginning to trickle in, however the twitter stream and blogosphere of the region are alight.  While all credit for what has been achieved in Tunisia and Egypt belongs to the people who have bravely faced torture and death, many have credited social media as a major factor and primary tool in these events.  Following are several Twitter postings by people who are in the streets of Cairo and Tahrir at this moment; fighting for ownership of their country against the CSF (Central Security Forces).  While non of these can be verified, the volume of similar reports is substantiating and cannot be understated:

As the battle kicked off, descriptions and pictures of the violence poured in:

Inevitably injuries begin to be reported:

During the chaos people communicated and discussed logistical issues:

Commentary of various sorts was ongoing:

Sometime well after midnight, it seemed that the protesters had won round one and a moment of reprieve:

The situation is ongoing, it is currently early morning in Cairo.  Information continues to stream in on social media outlets and in the press.  Many tweets reported on the crowd chanting "The people want the fall of Mosheer," referring to Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the leader of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the de facto head of state since Mubarak's ouster in February.  It remains to be seen if the ongoing unrest, including tonight's clashes, can carry the momentum which ousted Hosni Mubarak and effect real change.


Follow up to this article at WHR:
http://worldheadlinesreview.blogspot.com/2011/06/tahrir-square-june-28-post-script.html

An early press report dealing with tonight's clashes in Tahrir:
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/15239/Egypt/Politics-/Clashes-erupt-between-martyrs-families-and-police-.aspx

Egypt Rejects IMF, Revolution Lurches Forward

by Jonathan Rashad

Egyptians have evaded a great pitfall in their quest for freedom, democracy and sovereignty in their rejection this week of loan proposals from the IMF.  Nations across the world, especially in Africa, have time and again during periods of turmoil been tempted into bailouts and loan deals with the IMF and World Bank, always with strings attached: Steeled strings which pull the borrowing nation apart.

While successful in the ouster and trial of Hosni Mubarak, as with any revolution, the true test for Egypt is now coming after the removal of the regime’s figurehead.  A ratification of the revolution is yet to be completed, as the protest movement continues to fight against the faceless architecture of Egyptian power, which is still concentrated in the military, the oligarchy and foreign capitals.  Continued dealings with institutions such as the IMF would leave intact a central pillar of that architecture. 

Among other things which helped to destroy the Egyptian economy was the Mubarak regime’s system of patronage, as well as its borrowing from lenders such as the IMF; who always dictate how their loans are to be spent, as well as dictate economic and social policies generally as conditions for their lending.  These two forces helped to gut social projects, create massive unemployment and exacerbate poverty- ironically laying the groundwork and providing impetus for popular revolt.  Now the IMF and multinational corporations who did much business with Mubarak and who are the ultimate destination for IMF loans- loans which the taxpayers of the host nation must repay- want back in, but the Supreme Military Council has rejected the loans for now, amid popular distrust of the IMF in Egypt. 

Indeed, regardless of whether or not one would argue as to the virtue of the IMF loan package, one cannot deny that democracy has been served:  The people of Egypt do not want dealings with the IMF.  In fact, a rejection of the dictates of foreign influence, international finance and corporate power, in which the IMF is at the center, was a critical theme of the revolution.  While this fact mostly escaped the western media, Egypt’s current leadership is at least aware of it. 

Revolution:  Still in progress...

Apr 8 - Tahrir Square protests continue - Jonathan Rashad

Protests have continued since General Mubarak was finally forced from office on February 11.  There was much speculation afterwards as to how far Mubarak’s ouster would go in assuaging public outrage, which until earlier this year was for a long time a widespread but unexpressed reality.  Would the Egyptian street be placated by a simple rotation of figureheads?  This was the hope of the beneficiaries of the regime in Egypt, the US and in Israel.  According to Reuters, the Mubarak regime had been receiving an average of $2billion per year since 1979, making it the second largest recipient of US “aid” money, neighbouring Israel being the first.  It was always well known that the lion’s share of this money went to paying and equipping the coercive police/military apparatus which held the population in check through violence, subterfuge and torture.  As such, it is not surprising that the US administration did not support the ouster of their ally until the very last, until it became clear that such was already inevitable and perhaps necessary to stifle a more complete revolution which would sweep away not just Mubarak, but in one fell swoop the political, economic and military assets the US has bought in that country.  While Barack Obama spoke platitudes about freedom and democracy in Egypt, US and other foreign officials were working busily in the background to preserve the framework of Mubarak’s regime and find a successor who would be equally compliant to US interests, in spite of the aspirations to freedom of the populist, secular, anti-violent movement which demanded change at Tahrir Square and across Egypt. 

April 9 - Military crackdown continues - Jonathan Rashad

Since February 11, the Supreme Military Council of Egypt has been the official seat of power in that country.  It is made up of close allies of General Mubarak, and has been “overseeing” the transition to democracy in Egypt.  Under this “new” administration, Egyptians have continued to see crackdowns on protesters and torture of detainees.  The hope in the latter case is simply that the wretched habits of police and torturers die hard; however, in the former case the Supreme Military council is responsible for using violence to quell continued protests and criminalising the protesters through trials in military courts without due process.  Roughly 7000 sentences of groups of protesters have been meted out to up to 50,000, whom military officials continue to label as “thugs.” There is still an organised and determined enemy of the revolution wielding power in Egypt.

The land of the Pharaohs has also become a den of spies, with reports and arrests of foreign agents, most recently of one Mr. Ilan Grapel, a dual American Israeli citizen who has been in Egypt since February, and is reported as a former Israeli paratrooper wounded in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war, a journalist, a law student and/or a spy, depending on what source one checks.  The truth of Mr. Grapel’s intentions in Egypt may never be revealed, but what is on record is that countries with vested interests in Egypt, such as Israel and the US, have in their respective and massively funded intelligence agencies a secretive behemoth with a mandate for espionage, disinformation and interference in favour of the interests of their employers.  This is while the aims of the Egyptian revolution are in vocal opposition to those interests.  Parsing between reality and contrived fiction, between honest help and the Faustian kind, between empty rhetoric and veiled threats is one of the prime challenges to the revolution in Egypt. 

How successful they are at such parsing will be in evidence later this Fall.  Former officials and collaborators of the Mubarak regime are busy rebranding themselves ahead of Presidential and Parliamentary elections set for later this year, with the hopes of maintaining their influence and access to the public treasury.  Other forces whose intentions are less clear are also clamouring; some looking perhaps to exploit divisions which in the past characterised Egyptian society.  The revolution is further threatened by the economic impact of the deconstruction of Mubarak's corrupt economic system and the loss of tourist dollars, which is to say that things always get worse before they get better.  Officials with much to lose in Egypt, foreign and domestic, are beginning to blame the revolution for continued rising unemployment and inflation- people such as the cheerleaders for the rejected IMF loans- as if Egypt’s economic woes are not the culmination of 3 decades of Mubarak’s cannibalistic policies.

However, if an honest parliament can be elected, who with the help of an engaged public can bring out of Tahrir and institutionalise the spirit of dignity, unity and humanity that struck Mubarak down and still grips most of the country, Egypt can begin to pull itself along the long road to reclaiming all that it has lost in more than a half-century:  Having suffered military invasion by Britain, France and multiple times by Israel, trade sanctions and threats by the US and the World Bank, and the wholesale looting of the country’s wealth by Mubarak’s three decades of international cronyism, Egypt now finds itself in a deep hole.  Printed everywhere on signs, painted on walls, sprayed on tanks and chanted on the streets is the continued call of the people of Egypt, as well as Arabs across Syria, Yemen, Tunisia, Bahrain and so on:   

“Aash’ab yureed issqaat in-nithahm!”

“The people want the fall of the system/regime!”

 (!الشعب يريد إسقاط النظام)

By rejecting the IMF, the people of Egypt have rejected the nonsensical idea of digging themselves out of their hole with the same tools that got them there.  

 “Aash’ab yureed issqaat in-nithahm!” 

Hear the people of Tahrir square and across the Arabic world

Read more about Egypt and the IMF:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13914410

Egypt since Mubarak’s fall:

http://www.cswatch.org/user/179/article/egypt-after-mubarak-the-military-fist

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/111640/20110211/egypt-high-military-council-egypt-supreme-council-of-armed-forces.htm

Conflicting sources on the strange case of Ilan Grapel:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13761173

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-suspected-israeli-spy-arrested-in-egypt-was-traveling-to-libya-1.367596?localLinksEnabled=false

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/184561.html

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/06/19/egypt-s-dubious-spy-arrest.html

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Cameras and Cops from Rochester to South Beach

This week the international media has reported on the development of a rather interesting confluence of incidents concerning police behaviour in the US.  Each of these involve initial misconduct by law enforcement officers followed by intimidation and ultimately arrest of witnesses who recorded the police actions legally.  

Police Film London's Student Protests- Cleaner Croydon

The more serious incident, which has been widely reported internationally and is now known as the Miami Beach Memorial Day Shooting, involves the killing of 22 year old Raymond Herisse in Florida this past Memorial Day holiday.  While Mr. Herisse sat in his vehicle, having parked at an intersection after being chased by police, several officers surrounded the vehicle and at a moment's notice rained a fatal barrage of gunfire.  With an annual Memorial Day celebration in full swing, the streets were full, and the reckless and excessive use of firepower by police resulted in 4 innocent bystanders receiving gunshot wounds.  Reports discussing the extent of gunfire count more than 100 shots fired by at least 12 police officers. 

Beyond the aforementioned, it is still difficult to parse the facts from fiction, as reports in some cases conflict.  It was alleged by police that Herisse had refused earlier to stop his vehicle for police and had nearly struck several pedestrian officers.  While Carlos Noriega of the Miami PD made a video statement to media regarding Herisse's attempt to strike officers with his vehicle, he did not mention any injuries to fellow officers, while some press outlets have reported that 1 and others up to 4 more officers were struck by Herisse.  However, none of coverage reviewed by this author offers any detail concerning the name(s) of the injured officer(s), the seriousness of injury(ies) or whether there was treatment at the scene or in hospital; details which corroborate any vague or conflicting information, and which are normally reported as standard journalistic practice.  It was also alleged by at least one witness that Herisse had fired a gun while driving wildly through the streets, though when Police fatally shot the 22 year-old, they were apparently not aware of these reports, or even the identity of Mr. Herisse.  The police have not explained why it took almost 3 days to report that a gun had been found "hidden" in Herisse's car, while having relatively immediately made public Herisse's criminal record.

The killing has caused an uproar in Miami.  At least one of the wounded bystanders is taking legal action.  But where the story becomes more bizarre is the police reaction to bystanders recording the events.  A Local 10 TV camera man's camera was confiscated by police.  Reports of other cameras being confiscated have emerged as well.  Video from these sources has not been released to the public.  However, thanks to citizen videographer Narces Benoit, one useful video of the incident did evade police capture.  Benoit's video shows the shooting from behind several firing officers.  The video also shows that immediately after the shooting, Benoit is ordered to leave the area, and then pursued by officers as he returns to his nearby vehicle.  He is then ordered to hand over his camera, while he and his partner were held at gunpoint by at least one officer.  Benoit was able to pull the memory card from his camera-phone and hide it in his mouth sometime while being removed from his vehicle and put face-down by police on the pavement, having his camera smashed and returned to his pocket, being handcuffed, being arrested and being taken for questioning as a "suspect."

The pretext of his possible involvement as a "suspect" in the Herisse shooting seems absurd, considering the context of the Herisse incident being the culmination of a car chase which originated elsewhere, and especially in the light of Benoit's video.  In the video, which Mr. Benoit sold to CNN and can still be viewed uncut on youtube, police can been seen and heard demanding Benoit's camera as they follow him and approach his truck.  The intent of the officers is clearly to confiscate Benoit's video evidence of the shooting.  

The legality of such a seizure is certainly questionable, and puts the police in a quandary.  If police have probable cause that there is evidence of a crime recorded on a camera, most courts will uphold their right to seize that evidence at the scene.  Police could therefore only legally seize his camera if they suspected themselves of a crime.  What is proper and (less and less?) commonplace when a crime is recorded by a 3rd party such as Mr. Benoit or for instance a gas pump security camera, is that the evidence is either offered to police voluntarily by its owner when police take their statement as a witness, or the evidence is taken into police custody through means of warrant or subpoena.

The illegality of the attempt by police to destroy evidence and the personal property of a citizen is in no case questionable, nor is the attempt to intimidate him as a witness through his false arrest and questioning.  It is quite clear in this case that the police have in several instances illegally seized private property, destroyed private property and obstructed justice by suppressing evidence of their actions:  12 officers fired 100 bullets at one man in a parked car on a crowded street, wounding 4 bystanders.  In the light of high incidence of Miami Police shootings, some have called Herisse's killing as a "public execution."  While some may call this a stretch, if "public safety" and "serve and protect" are the watchwords of the Police, they have failed the people of Miami abysmally.  

The confrontation begins with a rather banal effort at intimidation when an officer insinuates that Ms. Good does not have the right to record them from the sidewalk, regardless of her not being on the sidewalk, and such not being illegal.  Ms. Good then stands her ground as the police officer accuses her of "seeming anti-police," and the officer tries to establish the ridiculous pretext that he doesn't feel safe with her standing behind him, even though she is in front of him, on her own property, while he is on the other side of a car on the street, and while there are 2 other unoccupied attending officers.  

The officer then approaches Ms. Good, and changing tack, attempts to use Ms. Good's recording against her by making reference to "what you've said to me before you started taping..." as being grounds for his ordering her indoors.  The officer continues to demand that Ms. Good return inside her house for the reason that he doesn't feel safe with her standing behind himself and the other officers during a traffic stop, in continual disregard of what is obvious to everyone; that Ms. Good is at a safe distance, she is not threatening, she is not behind him, and the traffic stop is concluded.  

In the video, one can hear the anxiety and confusion rising in Ms. Good's voice as it becomes clearer that the police officer is intent on having the last word and bending her to his will.  As Ms. Good attempts to reconcile the nonsense the officer has accused her of, he begins to threaten her with arrest.  He continues to accuse her of "standing behind" him and "not listening to our orders."  One must wonder how to correctly follow this officer's orders when he makes the Orwellian demand that she not stand behind him during the traffic stop when she is standing in front of him after the traffic stop.  Ms. Good continues to stand her ground, remarking that she will not go inside because she "need(s) the fresh air right now," a quip perhaps at once sardonic and revealing of her bemusement and befuddlement.  

After another threat she is arrested.  The camera is then passed to one of a few people standing beside Ms. Good; who then film the woman's arrest; and who evidently and in contrast to Ms. Good, have the right to stand behind, or in front of officers during or after a traffic stop.  They can be heard muttering to themselves as  Ms. Good is brought towards the police cruiser in obvious disbelief of her treatment.  She cries out: "What in the world?  I'm sorry!  I was standing in my front yard, concerned about what was going on in my neighborhood!  And you're arresting me?!  What the hell is going on?!"  The officer delivers her to a cruiser that has just arrived on scene.  Apparently Rochester Police require backup in removing ladies with video cameras from their front-yards. 

Witnesses then recorded themselves with the camera after police left the scene.  One witness states that she phoned 911 on the Police, the irony of which is pitiful.  The witnesses also note the officer's doublespeak regarding the sidewalk, the traffic stop and being behind the officer.  Statements to the media concerning the incident by the relevant Police Union President are nonsense, describing the officer's arrest of a woman well within her rights, on her own property, after his concluding a traffic stop as "using great restraint, maintaining composure, acting professional, clearly giving very clear and concise orders to an individual who just simply didn't comply."  

These are demonstrably measures to intimidate those who would dare photograph or record police officers, some of whom are perhaps far too comfortable with their own lack of standards, ethics and understanding of the law to bother improving them for the sake of public relations.  Such was in evidence after a 2010 court ruling in Maryland, where the judge concluded "Those of us who are public officials and are entrusted with the power of the state are ultimately accountable to the public... when we exercise that power in a public forum, we should not expect our activity to be shielded from public scrutiny."  

The rather extraordinary case from Maryland involved a motorcyclist who was stopped in traffic on a busy off-ramp after recording himself speeding on the highway with a camera attached to his helmet.  Anthony Graber's video shows an unmarked car suddenly boxing him in, and a plain clothed man exiting the vehicle, pulling a gun, and demanding Mr. Graber get off the motorbike.  At first it appears to be a brazen day-light robbery, until the man verbally identifies himself as police.  Mr. Graber accepted the consequences of his actions on the bike, and posted the video of his ride and his rather unusual arrest a week later on youtube in April 2010.  Soon after, the police raided his parents's home, confiscated his camera, computers and external hard-drives, and stunned Graber with charges of violating state wire-tapping laws which threatened the 25 year-old staff sergeant for the Maryland Air National Guard with up to 16 years in prison.  

Judge Pitt, who dismissed the charges against Graber, as have many other judges in similar cases, clearly asserted that laws concerning the unwitting recording of private conversations do not apply to police officers being recorded performing a public service in public, where they have no legal expectation of privacy.  Yet, in spite of legal precedents being set across the US in this regard, police continue to arrest people at gun point on trumped-up charges for doing just that.  Police are often fond of saying, "if you don't have anything to hide, you don't have anything to be afraid of."  One might wonder, is that simply a turn of phrase they use to get one to give up one's rights?  Or, do they have for themselves things they'd prefer be kept hidden?  Perhaps it's both. 

Read and watch video about Raymond Herisse / Narces Benoit affair in Miami

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/06/07/florida.shooting.witness/

Watch Benoit’s raw footage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXpMzT5yGp8

About Emily Good in Rochester NY

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/06/woman-in-her-front-yard-arrested-while-videotaping-police-at-a-traffic-stop-at-curb/1

About Anthony Graber in Maryland

http://abcnews.go.com/US/TheLaw/videotaping-cops-arrest/story?id=11179076

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-09-27/news/bs-md-recorded-traffic-stop-20100927_1_police-officers-plitt-cell-phones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK5bMSyJCsg