Tahrir Square redux

[marmar]

CAIRO, EGYPT—Egyptian soldiers and police set fire to tents in the middle of Cairo’s Tahrir Square and fired tear gas and rubber bullets in a major assault Sunday to drive out thousands of protesters after two days of clashes.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene said police and troops chased the protesters out of most of the square as the sun was about to set over the city. But soon after night fell, hundreds of protesters were making their way back to the square, slowly approaching the heart of the square while waving the red, white and black Egyptian flags and chanting “Allahu Akbar,” or God is greatest.

The protesters are demanding that the military, which took over from Mubarak in February, quickly announce a date for the handover of power to a civilian government.

“This is what they (the military) will do if they rule the country,” one protester screamed while running away from the approaching security forces. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1089874--egyptian-army-police-begin-driving-out-tahrir-square-protesters?bn=1

[teddy51]

1. Yep, it would seem out of the fire and into the frying pan for the Egyptian's. n/t

[Lindsay]

2. Entrenched powers

do not go down without a fight. Pretty much ever, pretty much everywhere.

[EFerrari]

3. There was supposed to be a statement from the cabinet shortly.

The protesters are chanting against Tantawi. They want him to step down.

[xchrom]

4. recommend

[Amonester]

5. Until the day President Obama will speak out against the violent crackdowns

against peaceful protesters all over U.S. cities, violent thugs everywhere have already started to do whatever they want to theirs.

Someone has some 'splaining to do, and fast... (long overdue).

[xchrom]

6. Doctors: 3 killed in assault on protesters

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_EGYPT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-11-20-12-04-17

CAIRO (AP) -- Egyptian doctors say three people have been killed in a police and army assault to evict protesters at Cairo's central Tahrir Square.

The assault came on the second of two days of clashes between Egyptian security and protesters calling on the ruling military to quickly announce a date for the transfer of power to a civilian administration.

Mahmoud Said, a doctor at the nearby Munira hospital, said the bodies of two men were brought to the hospital on Sunday evening, while Mohammed Qenawy, a doctor at one of two field hospitals in the square, said a male protester in his early 20s also was killed.

The military took over when longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising in February.

[MADem]

7. I am not optimistic that this will end well. They're in a conundrum, really.

They have a Sophie's Choice between the brutally oppressive military-influenced government, or the batshit fundy Islamist government (which will leave the substantial minority of non-Muslim Egyptians in a bit of a shithole). No matter what they do, they'll end up feeling like two cents worth of yesterday's garbage.

If it were me stuck in that situation, I'd be very depressed. If I had to make a choice, I'd pick the military option, because they can at least be shamed and cajoled by the withholding of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funding and other substantial aid that comes as a consequence of peace with Israel. The Fundy Islamist option seeks to go to Jerusalem and take it back, after pushing a substantial portion of the existing residents into the sea--something that could light off a powder keg if someone gets a little crazed when it comes to saber-rattling.

In reality, though, both choices suck.