The battle for Tahrir Square

[devil-ad-vocate.livejournal.com]

It was late on Wednesday as I slipped off to the Corniche road along the Nile to try to make my way inside Tahrir Square.

I have never seen a revolt up close and in real time, so it was with some trepidation that I had left the confines of our building after a full 10 hours of witnessing rock and Molotov barrages out of the window.

The street was empty but for a small army presence – a couple of armoured personnel carriers and some soldiers, most stationed near the Egyptian Museum. 

To my left, 300m away, a pro-Mubarak crowd rained Molotov cocktails down on the anti-government protesters from an flyover leading from the 6th of October bridge...

...I held my hands up, palms out. They asked me for ID, so I showed them my US driver's license. I also told them that I came from Al Jazeera.

Unlike the pro-Mubarak people, the Tahrir protesters have a passion for our network. You tell the truth, they told me. One of the group patted me down and apologised for the inconvenience.

"It's for security," he said.

source:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201123175837480777.html

---

Very interesting - and graphic - account of yesterday's events. I've found Al Jazeera to be pretty even-handed in their coverage; no heavy political discussion in this report.

Edit: Sorry - had to deal with a minor emergency before finishing...
I know Al Jazeera is widely regarded in America as a mouthpiece for Islamic radicals, but after observing them since the Iraq invasion, I don't agree with that. They frequently get thrown out of Middle Eastern countries for rubbing governmental (and religious) fur the wrong way - at least as often as Western journalists.

The article doesn't speculate on the outcome of the uprising, but one observation that struck me was the anti-government people were turning wounded pro-Mubarak demonstrators over to the army, rather than abusing them. If these guys are all paid trouble makers, then I doubt it will work in Mubarak's favor, but if there is any significant number of Egyptians who actually like Mubarak, it could lead to a civil war.

Comments

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

You know how it is. At least some impressions of yours are expected. What do you think of the events? Where would they lead Egypt, how will it possibly end? Will Mubarak relinquish his grip on power or there'll be civil war? How are the domestic and international media handling the events? You know, such kinda stuff.

[devil-ad-vocate.livejournal.com]

Since PRESS TV is Iranian government controlled, I'm not surprised.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Given that Mubarak shut down the local Al-Jazeera network they're not likely to be fans of his.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

I hope this isn't too off topic-- but I watch NBC and MSNBC coverage primarily. And I've always struck by Richard Engel's high quality coverage., I literally ran into him on the street in Chelsea once and I was struck by how tall he was. And for a news guy, he's a dashing figure. But the other night, I was struck by his walk-through the square with Brian Williams and his translation of Arabic posters, and then speaking in Arabic with the Egyptians. And you know he's speaking very fluently-- the speed and diction etc. So I researched him a bit, and it turns out that immediately after college, Engels lived in Cairo for about four years (starting in 1996 I think) because he believed the big story for the near future would be the Middle East).

Anyway-- I've ordered the two books he's written-- I'm looking forward to them in a big way.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

Sweet, perhaps you could give us a review when you're done :)

Jon Stewart has some...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

I like Jon Stewart's observations (http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-february-2-2011/mess-o-slightly-to-the-left-o-potamia---pro-mubarak-demonstrators) on the pro-Mubarak goons.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

What impresses me about them is how they go into details that are important, but boring; Western networks are too much about infotainment now, there's no room for boring background substance.

[anfalicious.livejournal.com]

Best news organisation in the world, hands down.