The Scent of Jasmine (live blog)
Posted: January 28, 2011 Filed under: Egypt, Foreign Affairs, Live, Middle East, Wikileaks | Tags: Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera, Egypt, jasmine revolution, Wikileaks 88 Comments
The news from Egypt is amazing.
The military and the police are on the streets.
A strict curfew is in place.
AJEnglish Al Jazeera English
Protesters across Egypt defy curfew: Buildings and vehicles set alight across the country as anti-government pro… http://aje.me/fdndau
AJELive AJELive
by AJEnglish
AP Reports that protestors have stormed #Egypt foreign minister building #Jan25 #egypt
AJELive AJELive
by AJEnglish
Clinton – US deeply concerned about events in #Egypt. Deep grievance by protestors. Violence by riot police is not a solution #Jan25
AJELive AJELive
by AJEnglish
Hilary Clinton – Disturbed by the use of violence against protestors, US supports human rights of the #Egyptian people #Jan25
Thousands of people in Jordan have taken to the streets in protests, demanding the country’s prime minister step down, and the government curb rising prices, inflation and unemployment.
In the third consecutive Friday of protests, about 3,500 opposition activists from Jordan’s main Islamist opposition group, trade unions and leftist organisations gathered in the capital, waving colourful banners reading: “Send the corrupt guys to court”.
The crowd denounced Samir Rifai’s, the prime minister, and his unpopular policies.
Many shouted: “Rifai go away, prices are on fire and so are the Jordanians.”
Another 2,500 people also took to the streets in six other cities across the country after the noon prayers. Those protests also called for Rifai’s ouster.
Members of the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood and Jordan’s largest opposition party, swelled the ranks of the demonstrators, massing outside the al-Husseini mosque in Amman and filling the downtown streets with their prayer lines.
BreakingNews Breaking News
US will review its stand on providing aid to #Egypt based on unfolding events – AP #Jan25
Al Arabiya on SOS Hillary Clinton and Germany’s response to Egyptian protests.
“We are deeply concerned about the use of violence by Egyptian police and security forces against protestors. We call on the Egyptian government to do everything in its power to restrain security forces,” Clinton said.
“At the same time, protesters should also refrain from violence and express themselves peacefully.”
Tens of thousands of Egyptians spilled onto the streets after Friday prayers in the capital and several other provinces, demanding the ouster of Mubarak and calling for economic and political reforms.
Calling Egypt a “strong partner” of the United States, Clinton urged Cairo to engage the Egyptian people about reform.
“We want to continue to partner with the Egyptian government and the Egyptian people. What will eventually happen in Egypt is up to the Egyptians,” Clinton told reporters.
MSNBC: Clinton: Egypt must respect citizen rights, reform: U.S. says country’s crackdown on protesters of ‘deep concern’. There are videos at this link.
Amid Digital Blackout, Anonymous Mass-Faxes WikiLeaks Cables To Egypt
Egypt has dropped a digital iron curtain over its Internet. So WikiLeaks’ fans are using an analog tool to smuggle the secret-spilling site’s latest scandals into the country: fax machines.
On Friday afternoon, the loose hacker group Anonymous began a campaign to fax thousands of copies of WikiLeaks’ latest missives–a series of State Department cables revealing human rights abuses under Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and tacit U.S. backing for his administration–to Egyptian numbers.
Since Thursday night, Egypt has blocked its four largest Internet service providers, Link Egypt, Vodafone/Raya, Telecom Egypt, and Etisalat Misr. But landlines remain connected–and so, Anonymous believes, do landline-connected fax machines. “We stand up for the little guy as well as fighting the government,” one source within Anonymous writes to me. “We believe the people need to see the truth, which is why we’re faxing locations in Egypt (especially schools) with copies of a relevant WikiLeaks cable; due to the majority of Egyptian Internet being down, the public cannot access this vital information.”
On a crowdsourced document the group uses for planning, members listed fax numbers of half a dozen Egyptian schools as their first targets. “The idea is to distribute the information to students, who can then share it with others,” says another source within Anonymous. “Right now they need to know that the police cannot be trusted and the wikileaks cables are just more proof of that.”
So, here’s two things to take from this that are important. The first is that our press is putting up our political spokesmodels on this rather than relying on people with a stake in the area. My second take away on this is that the Egyptian government shut down the internet and the only source of information is state run TV which is broadcasting everything is alright. Here’s a Wikleak of interest on Joe “Kill Switch” Lieberman. Plus a question, how can you say you live in a democracy when the President of the United States is looking at an Internet Kill Switch? Here’s an interesting link. Senator Lieberman asked for advice from Gamal Mubarak.
US embassy cables: US discusses Iran and Gaza with Mubarak’s son
More Wikileaks released today: US embassy cables: Egypt’s bloggers take on key role as political activists
Also: Some GREAT news from AJ:
SultanAlQassemi Sultan Al Qassemi
Great news: Al Jazeera “Thousands of Egyptians form human-chain around Egypt Museum to protect it from looting” #Jan25
Live coverage from Al Jazeera English here.
There is evidently going to be some statement from the White House soon. (1:50 p.m. cst)
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
grayslady
mablue2
JJ Lopez aka Minkoff Minx
NW Luna
peggysue22
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
My brother-in-law predicted this last month. Watch out for Yemen being the next country to revolt against their government……
He mentioned Jordan after Yemen! I guess he messed up the order!! :))
Even though the Royalty in Jordan is a bit more progressive than most of the others in the region, the gap b/w the haves and the have-nots has steadily risen for the past couple of decades. This trend of revolt in the Muslim world will continue as a result of Tunisia’s uprising….
Personally, the quicker there is dialogue with the protesters and their yearning for Democracy, the less likelihood that the Islamic Brotherhood takes any form. On Al Jazeera English, the Brotherhood admitted that this was not their movement, it began with the tech savvy, generation X and Generation Y, then others joined and it has continued to grow.
This group from the beginning doesn’t hold any fundamentalist views, and the Christians are protesting with Muslims, even women, even teens and in this clip
it is clear that the young educated Egyptians hold a different view of the world, than the mulas or the Taliban. They want Freedom, they seek Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the press, and they want to elect their government and have the government be transparent.
For years, the top 1% has taken and taken, and just now they estimate that the president is worth billions? Yes, there have been reports that even aid took a cut, when it came into Egypt. When people can’t feed their children and they learn that the president is possibly a billionaire, there is bound to be trouble and the army may well side with the people in the long run and we may see a Hosni Sayyid Mubarak out in an airplane sooner than later.
AJ reporter is saying that people are tied of Mubarak taking people’s wealth and giving it to his supporters with huge business interests. Our press is interviewing Liz Cheney and other oligarchs. Quelle difference!
He has been in power over 20 YEARS!! His time has come and gone……
Dak,
How does a dictator become a billionaire (yes, that is what one scholar was saying…BILLIONAIRE) and how can anyone not expect the people not to become worn out and tired of the abuse. One wikiblogger put out some photos that were simply too much, the abuse the police did on their own people is sheer torture.
I’m wondering if Libya might be next.
I am wondering about that myself Dak. It is very worrisome, almost like the shit is really hitting the fan over there in the Mideast.
ME THINKS SO!
I think you are on to something, about Yemen.
It seems like the dominoes are starting to fall in the entire Middle East area…it is like a chain reaction. The instability is spreading.
Assange and his ‘paper distribution’ is having monumental ramifications on the world political stage. The funniest thing is that so many of these countries that are protesting against their governments are doing what WE here in the States SHOULD be doing (ain’t that a hoot?!)….
Our reaction to the banking papers will say alot about this country……
Did your brother predict when it’s going to happen in the US? Just wondering. I’m feeling that we are going to get riots sooner rather than later. Surely the powers that be are expecting it. It’s impossible not to be moved watching the Egyptian people express their overwhelming thirst for justice, freedom of speech, votes that count, liberty…
All things we are losing at a quickening pace.
yeah, I think so too which is why they started training for food riots down here and the TSA has bought drones … I think it’s also why Joe likes the kill switch
It’s a 3 AM call, and Egypt is calling…
yup, and Hillary answers the phone.
As always…..
But in the end, it’s Obama who will answer it. She’ll hand the call to him, and it’s his call.
I particularly like the fact that she is recognizing the ‘Universal Human Rights’ of people, especially those that have signed on to the UN Charter as members.
Go Hill Go!
Yes, and Biden was the first to pick up the phone and said Hosni Sayyid Mubarak wasn’t a dictator, even though he was planning to install his son as permanent dictator too.
HONK!! HONK!! HONK!! HONK!! HONK!! HONK!!
Asshat.
Hillary 2012
I think it is now:
SKY, SKY, SKY
😉
@WV, oh I like that…
sky sky sky!
The verb “sky” is a term used to throw or pitch something.
▸ verb: throw or toss with a light motion
Kind of like “tossing” your agreement to something that has been said.
“Sky That!”
Can I use it!
Dak, there is live updates here on Guardian: Protests in Egypt – live updates | News | guardian.co.uk
White House and State Dept press conferences postponed indefinitely. (Fox News) There is also this:
White House wobbles on Egyptian tightrope | Simon Tisdall | Comment is free | The Guardian
I understand from CNN that the WH is waiting for Mubarak to speak to the Egyptian people before the WH and the State Department speak to the press. Maybe Mubarak is busy packing.
Here is one of the FEW places where I disagree with Hillary. The theme that will be followed in all these protests is that the leaders in these countries are puppets. Just like the banking system should have fallen after the Housing Crisis, these dictators and oligarchs should be forced out as well. Her response should have been that the people are expressing their God-given right to choosing their own representation. The United States denounces the violence and is prepared to offer humanitarian aid to the affected citizens of Egypt, and mediation between factions if necessary.
My disagreement with Hillary is with the understanding that she works for teh one. I wonder how this would have been handled had SHE been in charge. Our loss…..
Hillary 2012
I think this is a 3AM call for Obama. The Secretary of State is a diplomacy desk that cannot supersede the Oval Office. She can guide the day-to-day business, but Obama is the pilot that ultimately takes the boat as he wishes when there’s a storm.
German Defense minister thinks there’s a risk this might spread to Syria, Jordan, etc.
That is exactly what my last paragraph said!!! If only we had her at 1600 Penn…..
Hillary 2012
Fox News has been erroneously reporting that the protests in Egypt are driven by the Brotherhood and that is simply a lie. The US is trying to see what move is the best move at this time, but the cat is out of the bag, and that is that these dictators were taking the money and making it their own, while the people were in utter poverty and starving.
You have to wonder why we kept funding governments when we knew about the abuses and that the money was not going for its intended purpose. The most enlightening remarks are those by the former world bank that say that corruption was simply factored into the aid packages/loans for countries.
Former World Bank President James Wolfensohn (Audio)
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201101111000
Yup. There we have it. Our Fascist owned media spreading more untruths.
Over on Democracy Now, interview with Juan Cole:
Juan Cole: "Egypt is a Praetorian Regime"
The live coverage by Al Jazeera is great … they just talked to former US ambassador to Egypt (Old Bushie) and they’re talking live to people calling in from Egypt. Picture are great.
Big plus: no spokesmodels for US political/Corporate Plutocracy who don’t know anything about Egypt.
http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/2007829161423657345.html
The Ruling Party’s HQ is burning down.
Yup, I think they figured out who was going to be their nominee in the next elections.
They’re talking to an Egyptian professor at Qatar University. Not Liz Cheney!!!
EA World View has a time line for Egypt of most of the information that is coming in.
http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/1/28/egypt-and-beyond-liveblog-black-hole-or-another-day-of-revol.html
For good journalism, turn to the station that is Al Quaeda’s (sp) number 1 choice for information dissemination.
CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, HNBC, CNBC, HNN, and every other acronym should be ashamed.
Asshats.
Hillary 2012
@owillis They might as well get Huckabee to comment on the Taco Bell beef controversy while he’s there.
Mubarak’s address isn’t happening by the Presidential Guard is moving to state owned TV in Cairo … that’s via AJ English.
How many have lost their lives for the cause?
The White House Press says Gibbsy is going to make a statement shortly. They still wonder if Prez O will come out.
Gibbsy’s on live now.
Gibbsy is being really careful with his wording. He’s quoting Hillary more than anything at the moment.
They’re asking why POTUS isn’t picking up the phone and talking to Mubarak and why he’s not talking to any other leaders about this situation.
Jnoubiyeh Sarah Abdallah
Unbreakable Unity: Thousands of people formed a human-chain around the #Egypt Antiquities Museum in #Cairo to protect it from looting #Jan25
http://twitter.com/#!/Jnoubiyeh
I found that twitter but I can’t find a news source for that. Can you?
oxfordgirl oxfordgirl
Protesters have formed a ring around the national Museum in Cairo to prevent looting #jan28 #Egypt #Cairo
http://twitter.com/#!/oxfordgirl
I sent tweet to both of these journalist to find out where they are getting this info. Will update…
Personally, this is one of my concerns. This museum has so many antiquities that can be destroyed…it isn’t my only worry about all this mess…
They know people will be intent on taking/removing their valuabale treasures from the museum. I hope they have other locations surrounded too.
Gibbsy being very careful that they’re not endorsing Mubarak or supporting him. Careful word parsing …
game must be over
StateDept StateDept
#SecClinton urges Egyptian authorities to allow peaceful protests: http://bit.ly/SecClintonEgypt #Egypt #Jan25
ouch (arab journalist btw)
SultanAlQassemi Sultan Al Qassemi
When President Reagan addressed Soviet leader Gorbachev he told him: “Tear down this wall!” Obama is hiding behind Clinton & Gibbs. #Jan25
markknoller Mark Knoller
Asked why Pres Obama is not making a statement on Egypt, Gibbs said because “we’re monitoring a very fluid situation.”
Fluid is the reason for not taking a stand?
Asshat.
Hillary 2012
“Fluid” perhaps this means that Obama is still waiting to see what position or stand he wants to copy…excuse me…emulate.
Bet he’s got the CIA trying to figure out if Mubarak’s ass is grass and if Hillary can get him to leave. That way he doesn’t have to make any serious choice.
They’re waiting to make sure they don’t come down on the wrong side. Mr. Indecisive has trouble making up his mind because he doesn’t have a moral core.
They need our support yesterday, and the day before.
Obama is so slow it takes him days to formulate a response. This is just Gibbsy admitting it.
CNN International says a circle of civilians is protecting the antiquities in the museum. It’s more quiet in Cairo right now as the military seems to have left the streets.
You found this on CNN? Thanks!
Also, women are having an affect on the military! Photo made me cry!
http://www.enduringamerica.com/storage/EG1.png?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1296245608372
Wow. Made me cry too.
This is most interesting, child trafficking, torture and rife w/corruption…yet the White House is saying that Mubarak has a way to get his house in order??? Holy Smoke, what are they seeing on the TVEE!
I think they’re counting up the number of dollars they’re going to be losing from lost CIA assets. Tunisia was a huge listening post and had a big ol’ building full of spooks.
Egypt and Washington have been holding hands for decades and Obama inherited the situation. How Obama answers the 3 am call will demonstrate any strength or weakness of his presidency. I’m listening to Gibbs, and he seems uneasy about how to respond to questions. I think Obama is under the bed.
Yeah. It’s like the BP oil gusher. He’s going to have to make some kind of statement one way or the other soon.
Washington needs Egypt/Mubarak so they have someplace to rendition people to for torture.
There are Egyptian protesters at the White House asking President Obama to choose a side, Dictator Mubarak or the Egyptian people.
Also, this tweet on a lighter note:
The egyptian’s that are being interviewed on AJ are saying the people are hungry and have no jobs and that Mubarak keeps sending egypt’s wealth to his business friends. The professor on right now says El Baradei should take over.
They are also saying those ‘influential businessmen” who were getting the wealth at the expensive of the people have fled.
The conservative party head of Egypt is saying he thinks Mubarak has lost the military.
I think the fact that Mubarak has not spoken to the people is significant. Maybe the military is already in charge.
I’m thinking that’s a good possibility.
Vodafone confirms role in blocking internet/cellular communications from egypt. http://bit.ly/e4ga4u
I think they’re london based but who owns them mostly? Know they own a lot of verizon so there goes my phone access in a general strike.
Still, our US multinationals … such good world citizens!!!
The companies own the government of the countries in which they operate.
Yes, I wonder if that is the type of KillSwithc Joe Lieberman had in mind for us here in the US??? Hemmm…
Undoubtedly.
I just heard on Al Jazira that Tweetdeck isn’t blocked. That means pretty much anyone should be able to tweet.
This should be making “Team Obama” very nervous. Maybe they need to rethink cutting Social Security and other “austerity” measures?
BBC Live Coverage here
How come the US Government is NEVER prepared for such events? We also need days until we can figure out a response. Are we always waiting to see where the whole thing is going before making up our mind?
Hasn’t been confirmed…
I was wondering if he was still in Egypt…I know not confirmed but I personally felt that he would be out of there soon, if he already hadn’t left.
I don’t think Joe Biden made himself friend of many Egyptians today with his Mubarak-is-not-a-dictator. He is getting hammered for that comment over and over and over.
Biden’s a lose cannon that shouldn’t be allowed near a camera.
That’s the case with Biden……..lose cannon.
Hey, Dak has a new thread up…check it out!
There is a rumor that Mubarak has left in a private plane, but no confirmation yet.
Al Jazeera has released these photos and the aired time under CC.
WOW!