(no subject)
a refferendum is being held today for proposed amendments to the egyptian constitution. there are thirty four (i think) in total...among wich are articles that would do away with term limits and give the president power to over-rule parlaiment whenever he wants...he's been in office since 1981. there are others which would give police more power to arrest those accused of "terrorist activity" and hold them without due process.
from new york times:
As night fell in Tahrir Square, the geographic center of the city, hundreds of riot police officers and plainclothes agents ringed the area because of a planned antireferendum protest. In a stark illustration of Egypt’s anemic opposition politics, maybe 20 protesters arrived.
As they walked past the storefronts along Talaat Harb Street they started chanting, “Down, down with Mubarak!” and “So what does Mubarak want? That all the people kiss his feet?” The police charged, corralled them and threw them in the back of a big police wagon.
i was wone of them.
...except i was let out because of my handy blue american passport. thrown onto the street, being told to shut up and that "sorry, it was a mistake".
the other men who were in the back of the police truck are still in custody. probably being abused...i heard my friend talking about one of them needing insulin and friends trying their hardest to get it to him in prison.
after i was put into the truck my friend, among a group of girls huddled around a guy were beaten by police (she thinks they broke a rib when they kicked her), pepper sprayed, and left to run off..."انتو فعلا رجالة!!" (you're such men) my friends screamed as the police closed in on us, squeezing with a human chain.
they shut down mobile phone service around tahrir square...so that the protestors couldn't organize. my friend knew it was going to happen...it's happened before. she's used to it. they hearded us along...we tried to manifest in tahrir itself, but the police stood in our way...we marched down talat harb screaming "اسكت اسكت هسني مبارك!" it was insane seeing the look on my friends faces...when if first got here i asked them what they thought about politics here, the president, etc...they told me to shut up...politics wasnt spoken about in public...you never know who is listening. marching down the street, speaking out against injustices their faces had a mix of fear and liberation...they were actually doing something for their country...the police pushed us up onto the sidewalk, but one of my friends said "NO! WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE STREETS!!"...taking to the streets...traffic was still running...there was a wall of police ahead so we tried to run the opposite direction, but plain-clothed police officers were running towards us, pushing and shoving and punching us towards the epicenter...i guess to arrest us? one of them grabbed my friend, i turned around to push him off her, he pushed me into a car, and then towards the center...
after i was let out i tried calling people, but the service was down and my phone eventually ran out of battery...
i came home.
this was last night...i've been thinking about it non stop since...egypt is the US' key ally in the middle east...the country who taggs itself as the promoter of democracy world-wide is negotiating, holding conferences, etc with a country ruled by a tyrant who keeps his own people in fear of speaking their minds.
one of my friends said she wishes she had been able to go, but she has enough problems, being palestinian and having been active before for the cause...they denied her residency recently, after living her for how many years...called her in to the امن الدولة for "interrogation"...
there are more protests...photos of me are already online apparently from last night. i dont want any more...i still havent gotten my visa for this semester and dont want any problems. i told my mom about it in case pictures came up showing me screaming while being heaved into a military vehicle...she told me i was stupid for fighting other peoples battles (in so many words). if i want to fight, do it at home, for my own people...we (latinos) are a sleeping giant, she says. i told her these people (my friends) are basic rights under democracy...for the freedom to speak.
a friend and i were walking downtown today after uni...we passed a polling booth...they were playing patriotic songs...she said the game her country is playing makes her sick.
from new york times:
As night fell in Tahrir Square, the geographic center of the city, hundreds of riot police officers and plainclothes agents ringed the area because of a planned antireferendum protest. In a stark illustration of Egypt’s anemic opposition politics, maybe 20 protesters arrived.
As they walked past the storefronts along Talaat Harb Street they started chanting, “Down, down with Mubarak!” and “So what does Mubarak want? That all the people kiss his feet?” The police charged, corralled them and threw them in the back of a big police wagon.
i was wone of them.
...except i was let out because of my handy blue american passport. thrown onto the street, being told to shut up and that "sorry, it was a mistake".
the other men who were in the back of the police truck are still in custody. probably being abused...i heard my friend talking about one of them needing insulin and friends trying their hardest to get it to him in prison.
after i was put into the truck my friend, among a group of girls huddled around a guy were beaten by police (she thinks they broke a rib when they kicked her), pepper sprayed, and left to run off..."انتو فعلا رجالة!!" (you're such men) my friends screamed as the police closed in on us, squeezing with a human chain.
they shut down mobile phone service around tahrir square...so that the protestors couldn't organize. my friend knew it was going to happen...it's happened before. she's used to it. they hearded us along...we tried to manifest in tahrir itself, but the police stood in our way...we marched down talat harb screaming "اسكت اسكت هسني مبارك!" it was insane seeing the look on my friends faces...when if first got here i asked them what they thought about politics here, the president, etc...they told me to shut up...politics wasnt spoken about in public...you never know who is listening. marching down the street, speaking out against injustices their faces had a mix of fear and liberation...they were actually doing something for their country...the police pushed us up onto the sidewalk, but one of my friends said "NO! WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE STREETS!!"...taking to the streets...traffic was still running...there was a wall of police ahead so we tried to run the opposite direction, but plain-clothed police officers were running towards us, pushing and shoving and punching us towards the epicenter...i guess to arrest us? one of them grabbed my friend, i turned around to push him off her, he pushed me into a car, and then towards the center...
after i was let out i tried calling people, but the service was down and my phone eventually ran out of battery...
i came home.
this was last night...i've been thinking about it non stop since...egypt is the US' key ally in the middle east...the country who taggs itself as the promoter of democracy world-wide is negotiating, holding conferences, etc with a country ruled by a tyrant who keeps his own people in fear of speaking their minds.
one of my friends said she wishes she had been able to go, but she has enough problems, being palestinian and having been active before for the cause...they denied her residency recently, after living her for how many years...called her in to the امن الدولة for "interrogation"...
there are more protests...photos of me are already online apparently from last night. i dont want any more...i still havent gotten my visa for this semester and dont want any problems. i told my mom about it in case pictures came up showing me screaming while being heaved into a military vehicle...she told me i was stupid for fighting other peoples battles (in so many words). if i want to fight, do it at home, for my own people...we (latinos) are a sleeping giant, she says. i told her these people (my friends) are basic rights under democracy...for the freedom to speak.
a friend and i were walking downtown today after uni...we passed a polling booth...they were playing patriotic songs...she said the game her country is playing makes her sick.