Algeria shuts down Internet and Facebook as protest mounts

[Skip_In_Boulder]

Is this the next stop for the Revolution?

Internet providers were shut down and Facebook accounts deleted across Algeria on Saturday as thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators were arrested in violent street demonstrations.



By Nabila Ramdani 7:25PM GMT 12 Feb 2011

Plastic bullets and tear gas were used to try and disperse large crowds in major cities and towns, with 30,000 riot police taking to the streets in Algiers alone.

There were also reports of journalists being targeted by state-sponsored thugs to stop reports of the disturbances being broadcast to the outside world.

But it was the government attack on the internet which was of particular significance to those calling for an end to President Abdelaziz Boutifleka's repressive regime.
Protesters mobilising through the internet were largely credited with bringing about revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia.
"The government doesn't want us forming crowds through the internet," said Rachid Salem, of Co-ordination for Democratic Change in Algeria.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/algeria/8320772/Algeria-shuts-down-internet-and-Facebook-as-protest-mounts.html

[Posteritatis]

1. Because that worked so well for the last country to try it. (nt)

[Skip_In_Boulder]

3. So far it seems to be working out. n/t

[panader0]

2. Beginning of the end

That'll piss off the young--didn't they pick that up from Egypt?

[Catherina]

4. 8 hrs ago it was 15,000 protestors. 1500 arrested, among them 500 women. Protestors beaten.

Uninstalling dictator in progress - ALGERIA █░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ #12Fev #Algeria #Algerie #Feb12 #Revolution #ArabProtest


France24 : 15,000 protestors. 1500 arrested, among them 500 women. Protestors beaten. #Algeria #Feb12 (via @itsme_leclerc)
8 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply
Top Tweet


Some elements of operation shifting to aid Algeria. Algeria will be free soon.

[virgogal]

5. You refer to this as "the Revolution" as if it was all one uprising.

The Egyptians seemed quite proud,and rightly so,with what they did. It was an Egyptian thing to them, according to all I read.

The uprisings are all separate,although close together time-wise.

[Skip_In_Boulder]

7. I tend to look at this as more of a global phenomenon

A hopeful byproduct of Globalization in that people worldwide will not be ushered into a life of indentured servitude. But then again, I may be overly optimistic.

[Raksha]

35. I see it as a global phenomenon also,

a global revolt against globalism, if you want to put it that way. And I believe it will come to the U.S. sooner than anyone believes possible.

[Skip_In_Boulder]

37. We will see

Americans are very much placated. They are not experiencing enough pain yet to take to the streets.

[Posteritatis]

11. They are, however, pretty much joined at the hip

Egypt wouldn't have happened if Tunisia hadn't, and a lot of the others are directly referencing one or both of those.

So yes, Egypt's uprising was its own, Tunisia's its own, Algeria's its own, but they're also interrelated enough that you can be pretty sure ten or twenty or a hundred years from now it's going to be discussed as a unit in the same way that, say, 1848 was, even if it's still a bunch of distinct subunits.

[Skip_In_Boulder]

18. Spot On

That is how I am seeing this also.

[Catherina]

14. +1. Plantations all over rising up in revolt. n/t

[Raksha]

36. Plantations--good way of putting it.

And you would know, Catherina. You were right there on the virtual front lines! Thanks again.

[malaise]

39. Yes the plantations have changed in form

but there is very little change in the content.

[sabrina 1]

16. I think the OP probably meant the 'people's revolution everywhere

there are dictators.

Egypt was inspired by Tunisia, Algerians appear to be inspired by both. And Egyptians and Tunisians are sending messages of encouragement to the people of Algeria.

For a long time 'Globalism' meant Multi-National Corps who did not recognize borders, they operated, as we now know particularly from the Wikileaks Cables, in every country in the world, influencing and supporting oppressive regimes. The people of all these countries were isolated from the rest of the world, while the Globalists were working together.

A sea change is occurring now where the PEOPLE are joining together to fight the policies forced on them by Global Capitalists through the use of their bought and paid for dictators.

So, while each country's revolutions are different, it appears to be a people's movement that is sweeping the Arab World right now, and to some extent starting last Summer, Europe. Hopefully Europeans will renew their efforts to throw out THEIR puppet governments, as Iceland has already done, and start retrieving the money stolen from them while the thieves have the arrogance to force 'austerity' programs on the very people they robbed.

It is probably the first time that we, the people of countries all over the world, have joined forces through the internet, to support each country that is rising up against these draconian and brutal policies.

A Global People's Revolution. And that is why the first thing they try to do is to cut off communication with the rest of the world. It's easier to oppress one country isolated from the rest of the world, but it is not so easy to do so when the world is watching and millions, billions actually, are on the side of the people.

[virgogal]

27. Nice explanation. Thanks.

[Raksha]

38. +1000 You should make that an OP, Sabrina.

[sabrina 1]

6. Hope they got this message before the Govt. shut down

twitter and FB:

@hotfrog63
Hans Pommer
Tweet > If Twitter goes down in your country, you can post to twitter from here: http://doost.status.net #12feb #12fev #algeria #algerie
17 minutes ago via web Favorite Retweet Reply

Time for Anonymous to make a move and Twitter and Google to do for Algeria what they did for Egypt.

[Catherina]

13. Ppl are on it. "protests picking up steam "

Tharwacolamus Ammar Abdulhamid
by shaistaAziz
Despite swift crackdown & arrests of scores of protesters, including 4 parliamentarians, protests picking up steam in #Algeria #feb12
3 minutes ago



Algeria's going to be much harder.


marwame Marwa Elnaggar
by oheldiee
RT @EyesOnAlgeria: to clarify; there were 30,000 police for officially 2000 protesters (counts indicate 15,000+) #algeria #feb12
15 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Catherina]

19. They got it. And they got the one about "Speak To Tweet" days ago

EyesOnAlgeria AllEyesOnAlgeria
by startoy123
use Speak To Tweet by calling [phone] - [phone] to spread your message! Please RT! #algeria #feb12
22 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply


I don't know this person but this just came in

themoornextdoor Kal
by TheRedPortal
RT @motazaline: Plz stop spreading misinformation, internet (FB and twitter) is up and running in #algeria #feb12 #12fev
1 minute ago


alnitak250 Ben S.
@
@JustAmira I have three reports from #Algeria that social media are working #feb12
49 seconds ago Favorite Retweet Reply


Edit: I DO know this person and trust them

ShereefAbbas عباس
by startoy123
RT @Sarahngb: Translation RT @djug: @Sarahngb I am in Algeria and Internet is not down nor are Social Networks #feb12
32 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[sabrina 1]

22. Good, I had seen the first message yesterday

about the internet still working, but wasn't sure if that was before the government stepped in.

[Catherina]

31. Aha! It was down for 6 hours

EyesOnAlgeria AllEyesOnAlgeria
@
@gavinsblog internet access way blocked for over 6h- now it's back to normal
1 hour ago

[sabrina 1]

42. Thank you, I guess they reconsidered?

[tridim]

8. It's starting to feel like the Internet is alive.

Keep trying PTB, the People of this World will not be silenced any more. You lost.

[Catherina]

10. [phone] n/t

[Matariki]

15. There's hope in that!

I so want that to be true. What a wonderful world we could create.

[highplainsdem]

9. According to this Twitter account, the Internet is back:

http://twitter.com/EyesOnAlgeria


EyesOnAlgeria AllEyesOnAlgeria
@
@gavinsblog internet access way blocked for over 6h- now it's back to normal
12 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Matariki]

12. How do they delete facebook accounts?

[Catherina]

17. That's got to be a mistake. All I've seen on tweets is that FB is blocked

I don't know where the telegraph is getting that FB accounts were deleted :shrug:

[highplainsdem]

20. Another tweet saying the NEt, FB and Twitter are up and running in Algeria

motazaline Averroes
Plz stop spreading misinformation, internet (FB and twitter) is up and running in #algeria #feb12 #12fev
6 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply


That tweep is being followed by wedaddy and Zeinobia, two of the Twitter users whose posts on Egypt I followed.

[Catherina]

21. Skip, getting tweets here that that's false

ShereefAbbas عباس
by startoy123
RT @Sarahngb: Translation RT @djug: @Sarahngb I am in Algeria and Internet is not down nor are Social Networks #feb12
33 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply


themoornextdoor Kal
by TheRedPortal
RT @motazaline: Plz stop spreading misinformation, internet (FB and twitter) is up and running in #algeria #feb12 #12fev
3 minutes ago


ShereefAbbas عباس
by startoy123
RT @Sarahngb: Translation RT @djug: @Sarahngb I am in Algeria and Internet is not down nor are Social Networks #feb12
33 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Skip_In_Boulder]

23. Hmmm, that is interesting. I am going to research it some more.

[Skip_In_Boulder]

25. OK, I am seeing this tweet. Is there something I am missing

I am new to using Twitter.

Sarahngb Sarahngb
Algeria..Rubber bullets, tear gas, FB & Twitter down, harassment of journalists..I'm waiting for horses and camels yalla. #feb12

Sarahngb is your guy, right?

[highplainsdem]

26. Skip, did you see my two replies above? I quoted one of the tweeps mentioned in Catherina's post,

and another.

Here's another tweep who says the Internet is working there, and there's access to FB and Twitter:

http://twitter.com/#!/assya72

[Skip_In_Boulder]

32. Yes, I saw it. Did you see my post #26

There seems to be conflicting information which happens in these kinds of things. Have to just wait and see how this pans out.

[Catherina]

29. One of them. But the reports from people in Algeria is that they're still up

Stuff coming across in Arabic and French too.


Sarahngb got that from the Telegraph. Bad mistake. Corrected herself.



Sarahngb Sarahngb
@
@Seleucid I'm not sure what's happening right now. But latest I heard was internet crackdown
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Sarahngb Sarahngb
Translation RT @djug: @Sarahngb I am in Algeria and Internet is not down nor are Social Networks #feb12
1 hour ago


Sarahngb Sarahngb
@
@djug It was on telegraph. sorry. Are you there?
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Sarahngb Sarahngb
@
@Seleucid telegraph should be decent! apparently not
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply

[Skip_In_Boulder]

33. O.K. thanks. n/t

[Skip_In_Boulder]

34. I did just go ahead and picked a random set of websites in algeria

and they are all responding and I hit about a dozen of them. So it may be that the Telegraph got it wrong. They are usually pretty good.

[highplainsdem]

30. A tweep in Bahrain confirming she's heard that FB and Twitter are working in Algeria:

http://twitter.com/#!/JustAmira

[malaise]

24. The stupid fuckers never learn

Go Algerian people!

[Fire Walk With Me]

28. The Djinni is out of the bottle.

[Raksha]

40. K & R

[Alexander]

41. First Tunisia, then Egypt, then either Algeria or Yemen.

Arab dictators are falling like dominoes, it seems.