Egyptian Turmoil

It seems the eye of the storm has passed as riots and demonstrations began again in Egypt last week, resulting in a fierce crackdown by the military amid cries for the military to step down from power. Lately, discontent with the ruling military class has risen, due to the expansion of the emergency laws, which are still in place despite the fact that the revolution was supposed to get rid of them. Also, the military has been heavy-handed with it's crackdowns, limiting free speech in new additions to the emergency laws, trying thousands of civilians in closed military court, and using excessive force to quell any backlash from the public. I just don't get how this is at all acceptable and what exactly the military is thinking. Obviously, there are some people in charge that don't want to let go of the old ways. And obviously this will not stand. Limiting free speech further? Did they think that they'd be able to sweep that under the rug and walk away? No, the Egyptian people are not blind and have taken notice. So what else is there to do when your government is still restricting your rights, but to protest?



So they did. They protested just as they have been since January, demanding their basic rights, their own government, a say in what happens. And once again they were met with violence, a swift and brutal retaliation by the police. And why is this happening? What is causing more bloodshed on the behalf of the Egyptian people? Their own government, the military council. Now you could try to cut them some slack, surely trying to guide a country in chaos towards democracy is terribly difficult to do. But it seems to me that the military council has little care towards true democracy. If they did, why would they try civilians in military court, outside of the realm of their peers? Why would they limit free speech, especially speech against the military council? Why would feel the need to beat down their own people? Obviously, optimism was beaten out when the protestors were, and once again the Egyptian people are calling for the end of yet another government.

As Egyptians gather in Tahrir square once again, many rally around cries for Egyptian Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi to step down from power, and for the Egyptian military to relinquish it's stranglehold on the country's politics. As shown with the Maspero Massacre in October, Egyptians once again have to fear a government who is willing to use deadly force against peaceful protestors. When Coptic Christians protested in front of Maspero, the national radio and television building, they had no idea that by the end of their protest more than two dozen would be killed by the hands of police and military forces. This brutal turn of events was made even more gruesome when military tanks refused to stop and subsequently ran over protestors, killing them in a despicable fashion. The military showed its strength and willingness to use force, but to what end I do not know. I don't understand why they think using force against protestors would win them any support; maybe they are still afraid of the power and popular opinion of the movement. Whatever it is, the Egyptian army has taken control of the country once again.

Anonymous going Mainstream? New Documentary in the Works

A new trailer for the documentary We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists has just been released today. Slated for a 2012 release, the movie's being produced by the Los Angeles group Luminant Media and is directed by documentarian Brian Knappenberger. While it may seem rather odd to think of Anonymous as having their own documentary, it is at the same time intriguing. The short glimpse into the documentary reveals a revolutionary, inspirational feel. It kinda makes you wanna get up and punch a policeman. But the fact of the matter is, this documentary has to be well-balanced. Anonymous has numerous faults, and unless the documentary addresses these faults, it will most likely end up being a longer version of the many fringe videos on YouTube. but enough with the analysis and speculation, have a look for yourself and decide whether or not this lives up to it's topic.

Occupy Oakland Achieves General Strike

Last Wednesday, Occupy Oakland achieved what no other movement has achieved in over 30 years: A General Strike. People all over the city walked out of schools, jobs, and homes to take to the sreets in protest against the 1% and the corruptness of corporate America. This show of solitude went rather peacefully throughout the day, resulting in only a few smashed windows due to a small group of hooligans. But that night riot police moved in once again, using tear gas, rubber bullets, and nightsticks to subdue the crowd in ways reminiscent of Tahrir Square. While the official word is that protestors provoked police violently, thus giving the officers no  other choice, the protestors say otherwise.
Protestors blocked off the city's port, stopping all traffic to and from the area and effectively shutting down production. (Although it is worthy to note that production was already shut down due to a previous problem with certain containers) This lasted late into the night, eventually leading up to the occupation of an abandoned warehouse in the pier area. While this in itself may not be enough to provoke a tear gassing and shooting of protestors, it may have been enough for the police to get involved. I'm not saying that the police are in the right, obviously there are some lined being crossed at some point, but the protestors have to realize that are breaking laws and ordinances sometimes, thus forcing the police's hand. So here's the fork in the road. Either the movement must amp up its tactics or tone them down and focus on cooperative demonstration. But before we choose, lets just think back at the success of civil disobedience.

Anonymous: The Hand of the Internet

As popular revolutions and protests are gaining momentum throughout the world, there is one group particularly involved in all of them: Anonymous. The Guy Fawkes masks pervade every gathering, every riot, every protest. They're not only a sense of anonymity, but also of community and activism, spreading the word and ideals of anonymous. While still being a relatively new group, Anonymous defies all attempts at characterization and normalcy. The web-based hive mind of the Internet does not seem to have a hierarchy, a member list, or any defining characteristic of a organized group. No, Anonymous is more of a face for those on the Internet (cyber activists, vigilantes, and hackers) to assume and use for their own goals, often for freedom of speech and rights. But with this decentralized stance,one wonders how they can be effective at all?

Like everything else about Anonymous, this is the unofficial flag for the group.

They can. Anonymous has proven over the few years that it has been active, that it can and will act out against those who oppose them. Check out the Wikipedia page for anonymous. Under the activities sections there are more than 30 separate operations that were performed against various corporations, governments, and groups Anonymous views as corrupt and/or harmful to the freedom of the people. As you look closely, many things about these operations or raids become clear. Often they are associated with separate arms of Anonymous, and almost always have an activist, hacktivist, or vigilante air about them. Examples of internet vigilantism include the arrest of Chris Forcand, a convicted child predator who was under surveillance by Anonymous members, who then reported him to the police after receiving sexual propositions from him under the assumption that they were minors. This as well as the recent, direct threat against the Mexican drug cartel Los Zetas for supposedly kidnapping one of Anonymous's members. Threatened with the leaking of names/personal information of those involved, the cartel released the hostage supposedly involved with anonymous. With these examples of vigilantism also come examples of hacking "For the Lulz" and of activist support. As you can probably tell, Anonymous is totally chaotic.

Protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street protest wear Guy Fawkes masks in Zuccotti Park in New York on Oct. 10. (Andrew Burton/Associated Press) #

 

 But this supposed chaoticness often organizes itself into scarily cohesive groups when they feel the need arises. Example: The Arab Spring. Anonymous launched several operations to aid the popular uprising in the Middle East and  North Africa, including Operation Tunisia, and Operation Egypt. In both these cases Anonymous took down government sites during the protests, and in both cases the sites were down until the protests had ousted the government. Apart from Anonymous's obvious technical help, they also advised many rebels on how to circumnavigate their government's censors using proxies, as well as circulating information as well as protesting advice. Arguably, one could say Anonymous helped give them the tools to revolt, but that may be going a bit too far.

But while Anonymous has been growing on the ever-increasing demonstration front, they have really gained momentum with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Support has been forthcoming from Anonymous, and often they highlight scenes of police brutality by publicizing it on the web. But this seems to be their only sticking point right now, as a messenger. Anonymous spreads the word about the protests, they pass the information on across the web. But as for the threats, the promises of retaliation against the injustice and corruptness of the police, nothing has happened. But nothing needs to happen. Yet. Right now, Anonymous is doing the most good by publicizing the movement, making it known the world over and spreading it's message. That is what will help the movement grow. But once the movement has grown, then it is time for Anonymous to do what they have done in the past: Make a statement.

A protester wearing a Guy Fawkes mask look on as a Carabinieri police vehicle burns during a demonstration by the "Indignant" group in Rome, on October 15, 2011. (Reuters/Stefano Rellandini) # 

Anonymous has proven that they can make the media pay attention, make governments pay attention. But what would really help them the most would be for them to make the world pay attention with a massive event, a massive protest. If they could pull off anything like the movie V for Vendetta, a movie they idolize so much it's borderline creepy, then there would be no stopping the momentum of the popular will. But at this point that seems nowhere near possible. Anonymous has yet to do any significant works in the movement, apart from the previously mentioned role as messenger. So do they have a trick up their sleeve? Are they waiting to play their cards? Or is anything going to happen at all? Only time will tell, but it's any indication from their slogan, time might prove it true.

 

 

We Are Anonymous

We Are Legion

We Do Not Forgive

We Do Not Forget

Expect Us!

Libya Standing on its Own

NATO has just announced that it will be ending it's military mission in Libya, which includes the no-fly zone, a huge area of support for the NTC. But this recent announcement came with some conflicting emotions, as the NTC had previously asked NATO to postpone the ending of the no-fly zone. The NTC fears that Gaddafi loyalists will retaliate against them now after their leaders death, and say that the no-fly zone would serve as a deterrent for the time being until Libya has a firm grasp on its own freedom. No that NATO has gone ahead with ending their mission, will the NTC be able to handle it without the support from a no-fly zone? I think so, as I seriously doubt any loyalist groups will have access to any fighter jets anytime soon. With that in mind, this announcement is the first step into giving Libya full independence.

Fair Trials?

With Gaddafi killed as well as his son Mutassim, attention has now been focused on Saif al-Islam, Muammar's most dangerous and loyal son. Recent reports say Saif is in Niger, exiled from Libya. Having been thought to been in Bani Walid, Libyan rebels lost track of him and was able to escape into hiding. Saif al-Islam has a warrant from the ICC, and this is the sticking point in the final stages of the revolution. Wanted by the international court for crimes against humanity, Saif al-Islam is a hot topic, specifically because many in Libya would like to have him tried in Libya. But many fear that if he was tried in Libya, a repeat of what happened to his father would occur. With the ever increasing suspicion that Muammar Gaddafi was executed by the mob that found and captured him, and new footage showing graphic footage of a bloody Gaddafi being violently jostled and even stabbed by the crowd. With this new development, the NTC has stated that they will put those responsible for Gaddafi's death on trial. How this plays out will be interesting. The sentiment of most Libyans is of extreme hatred of Gaddafi. I mean that's understandable, he made their lives living hell day in and day out. But with the trial of the people who killed him, those sentiments could cause many to get upset. The last thing the NTC wants right now is to lose support from their people. But, hopefully many will overcome their bind hatred now that he is dead. If most Libyans can look past the hatred that built up over the last forty years, then maybe the NTC won't have such a problem and people will realize that the trial is necessary to uphold human rights.

With this insistence on fair trials being held in Libya, the news that Saif al-Islam is in informal talks with the ICC, who would have Saif tried in The Hague rather than in Libya, is full of tension. An ICC spokesman says he has substantial evidence that Saif was involved in the planning of bombing and shooting at civilians, as well as paying and transporting mercenaries from foreign countries. Libyans and the NTC  say that it would be the best if Saif was tried in Libya, and that it would be the only way that the Libya people can get any sort of closure. Seeing that the ICC has no police force, it all relies on what Niger decides to do. Niger is an ICC member state, meaning they have an obligation to arrest Saif is an order is given. But whether or not they do will decide whether the ICC has any chance of trying Saif. With this development, international pressure is high over the trial of one man. And with this pressure, it will be decided whether or not the international community is ready to trust the NTC with judicial power.

Occupy Oakland

On Tuesday, Occupy Oakland was forced out of their encampment. Early in the morning, police in full riot gear stormed the site and dismantled the tents and other structures set up their, as part of a fierce crackdown on protesters by police. Flashbang grenades and tear gas were used on protesters, many of whom were still sleeping wen the assault began. Is this was America stands for now? I thought we had a right to free speech, to protest, to gather. Apparently we can only protest during the day, when it suits people and their schedules. No! That's not what protests are about! Protests are about creating a rift in the status quo, interrupting peoples daily lives and making them think about the issues. Protesting isn't being assaulted by police as if you were violent rioters. Occupy Oakland was a peaceful protest, doing everything in it's power to have a clean, safe place of protest while at the same time spreading their grievances. The police response to this was unnecessarily brutal and its sickening to me how little compassion was shown to protesters, and many were injured indiscriminately and beaten.




As you can see in this video, police have started throwing tear gas canisters at the protesters. This took place later in the day on Tuesday, as protesters took to the streets in protest of the demolishing of their encampment. Some protesters are seen to be hurling the tear gas back at police, but about 25 seconds in, you can see someone lying on the ground a few feet from the police line clearly injured. As protesters notice something is amiss, they rush to help the injured protester, pleading with the police, shouting "Help him! Help him!" Of course the police do nothing but stare menacingly at the protesters, who obviously incited the whole incident. (Note my use of sarcasm here) But to make matters even worse, one police officer decides that adding an explosive to the mix would make it much better. 35 seconds in you see a black object, a flashbang grenade, thrown from behind police lines. This is hurled directly into the group around the injured protester, going off right by the person on the ground, scattering the helpers. There are so many things wrong with that! Why would anyone do such a thing, knowing full well that this group of people is not a threat, and that they are merely trying to aid someone that is injured? Where is the humanity in this? I'm sorry, but this seems more like something that would happen in Egypt 5 months ago, not America.





This time, another protester is injured, but this time it is much more serious. 24-year-old Iraq war veteran Scott Olsen is seen here being carried away after being shot in the head with a rubber bullet round from police. As seen ere, he is bleeding from the head and looks very dazed and confused. After being taken to a nearby hospital, Scott was unconscious for nearly 12 hours before finally waking up. He is now doing fine, although his speech is somewhat impaired. Unfortunately, his brain is swelling due to the fracture of his skull, and surgery may have to be performed if it does not go down soon. Since when are police allowed to shoot a person in the head, nonlethal projectile or not, and cause them to have a skull fracture and result in a mini-coma and swelling of the brain? Personally, this disgusts me, and I seriously hope that attention will be brought to the OPD and their brutal tactics. But so far, no major news organization seems to be covering it, leaving me to wonder how far America has fallen.