Protesters Vs Thugs part III : Rise of the Fallen

More than 231 people have been injured in clashes between groups of armed men and pro-reform protesters marching towards Egypt's ministry of defense in the capital, Cairo, the country's health ministry said.

Thousands calling for the "downfall" of the country's ruling military council were trying to reach the military headquarters on Saturday when they were attacked by opponents armed with knives and sticks.

Witnesses said most of the injuries occurred when civilians, believed to be thugs, standing in front of military blockades hurled barrages of stones and at least six firebombs at demonstrators. The demonstrators fought back with stones torn up from the pavement.

UPDATE: Article by Al-Dostoor website states that the thugs were hired by 2 members of the Pro-Mubarak National Party

Now enough blabber and let the videos talk. These were all taken from the heart of the incident and in order of sequence. Thanks to 3arabawy, Malek, Tarek Shalaby, and Wael Abbas :

Tahrir @ 4:08 PM:

Ramsis Street @ 5:01 PM:

Protest gets closer to Ghamra Bridge @ 5:33:

Army Blockades near Al-Noor Mosque @ 6:24 :

Abbaseya @ 6:38 :

Thugs on the roof tops @ 6:57 :

Small fight at Al-Noor Mosque @ 7:10 :

Thugs from Ramsis Street @ 7:35 :

clashes in #Abaseyya @ 8:56 :

clashes in #Abaseyya. Clashes over @ 9:15 PM:

Deja Vu Monsieur

Are we going forward or backward? After the semi-success of the JAN25 revolution (I wont say success cause not all demands have been met) all we wanted to see was more good news and less corruption on our way to build a new Egypt. What happened yesterday and today was far from that. Lots of things have happened and I personally lost track at some points during the day but I will try and put things in order and you can judge for yourselves...

Yesterday the families of the martyrs were having a sit in at Maspero to ask for the rights of the martyrs. During that time, some families were having a ceremony at Al-Baloon Theatre in the honor of the martyrs. Suddenly some thugs appeared at Maspero and snatched some posters and signs that had the photos of the martyrs and headed to the theatre. And when the police didnt allow them to enter they started smashing the doors and windows and jumped over the fence. This video shows one lady who is the sister of one of the martyrs as she tells the story of the thugs:

The police at this point attacked the thugs in order to protect the families who were inside the theatre, and all videos shown at this point were of the police protecting the theatre from the thugs. But lots of excessive force was used, which is frowned upon even if that person is a thug. Like this video here:

The action moved to the Ministry of Interior and then on to Tahrir, at these points people got all mixed up like a blender between thugs, activists, families of martyrs, and normal people wanting to take place in the protest. The battle started to include rock throwing, and tear gas which was - surprisingly - recently made in USA and some were labeled May 2011 ! This snippet from the talk show "Baladna Bel Masry" shows this piece of information and was also confirmed by many activists there like Gigi Ibrahim. Which means there was a massive amount of money paid to equip the police :

Even some activists tried to reason with the riot police. We see Alaa AbdelFatah in this video:

This video shows how the riot police were using loudspeakers to provoke the protesters by cursing at them and calling them names and saying they will "kill them all" :

Most media turned a blind eye to this all, even Al-Jazirah who the Egyptian people relied on as their source in news prior to Mubarak's stepping down. Their coverage was a joke, and of course I wont start on the Egyptian national TV. The only channel that was showing an actual view was ONTV. The surprising thing is that Essam Sharaf (The Egyptian PM) himself did not make a single move or appearance! So what happened Mr. Sharaf about your promise in Tahrir that if you didnt fullfil your job you will join the protesters in Tahrir?!

Till this day, officers from the Ministry show up to martyr families homes to offer them money in order to withdraw their lawsuits against the other officers! Nothing is happening and no one is going on trial but the activists and normal people. This is not what we were expecting in the new Egypt.

This is the interview of Reem Maged with 2 of the martyrs' relatives , Alaa AbdulFatah , and Gigi Ibrahim which shows a logical (and some hidden) sequence of the incidents (sorry thats in Arabic only):



I leave you now with a few broadcasts using Bambuser from activists Tarek Shalaby , Ramy Raoof , Emad Mubarak , and others. All in order of sequence from older to newer :

00:30 - 29 June



01:23 AM :



1:46 AM :




2:20 AM :





6:03 AM :



20:42 :



00:20 AM - 30 June in Tahrir :

Call in the Army ... or not .. ?

OK I have to say this: I am fuckin confused! Now ever since the army hit the streets after January 25, they were our most trusted power, defending the protesters against the regime vigilantes. The army have been in power since February 11th when Mubarak stepped down, and ever since that time they have gone up and down in the scales of being liked and disliked by the public. Videos crept out of army men torturing protesters by beating them up and zapping them with electric rods. But this same army have bowed down to allot of our requests, including choosing a prime minister we agree upon and releasing a modified version of the constitution; which I found to be very pleasing and a very big step even though many were not happy with it. I was one of the people who voted NO in the last poll, but since the majority voted YES we have to be democratic and agree about the new constitution till we get a new one.

Anyway back to topic, yesterday was known as "The Friday of Purification" , the people have gathered in huge numbers to ask the government (which is now the army) to present Mubarak, his family, and his men to trial. The army tried the same tactic as before and released a video showing the arrest of Zakarya Azzmi on Thursday. Though that was great news to hear, but it did not stop the people from flooding to Tahrir Square.

I started my habit of following Twitter to get the feel and the news right from the heart of the square, everything seemed normal as any peaceful protest. But as the time of the curfew crept upon the protesters, no one seemed willing to move. This is where I draw a red line for my support to the protests in Tahrir. Yes you can protest (Don't forget that the army first considered protesting as a crime, then changed that in the new constitution) but no you can not break the law that was placed by the governing body which is now keeping the country in a point of a semi balance. The army is what we got left, do you want to rise against them? Fine, then what? Are you going to run the country from Tahrir? Are you going to protect the country's borders from Israel? Protest all you want, ask for what you want, you are free now and this is the time to shape up the future for Egypt. But once the curfew begins there is no need to act stubborn and squat in the square. If so, then you only have yourself to blame for the consequences.

Egypt army kills 1 dispersing overnight protest

Clashes erupt around Cairo's Tahrir Square - Middle East - Al Jazeera English


The whole night turned into a fuckin war, shots fired, cars burnt, Molotov bombs thrown, its January all over again but this time its wrong. The blame falls on both sides, on the protesters for breaking the curfew, and on the army for using excessive force to break up the squatting at the square. And about the army officers who joined the protest, shown in several videos on Youtube stating they are with the protesters against corruption., I really don't know what to make of it. It is nice to see army men taking sides with the protesters, but when this results in them asking the protesters to stay in the square because they are afraid of arrest or execution, then again we are crossing a red line here.

The army released a statement saying no shots were fired, which is false because it truly shows in the videos on Youtube and stated by many people living around the area (including my cousin who could hear gun shots from 2 to 4 AM). The army also suspects businessman Ibrahim Kamel to be behind what happened at Tahrir being part of the NDP party and the anti revolution movement by sending armed vigilantes disguised as military police and normal civilians to spark up the fights between the people and the army.

If I would point a few fingers myself, I would point it at some "trusted" activists on Twitter and Facebook whom I have noticed have posted nothing but aggravating comments about standing against the army and not letting "the revolution die". These people are using their vast popularity to spread the word they want people to hear, and unfortunately allot of users go blindly behind what these activists say without using their brains to think for a second. I will keep the names to myself and let time and the future reveal them to you, and if I am wrong then I will take back what I said, though I do have a strong feeling about this.

I leave you with some videos published about the Friday incidents.

Being Artistic...

Photos from my last visit to Cairo... If you like them, I will post more here soon, or you can follow my work through my gallery.




Guardians of the Path by =DJVue on deviantART




Our Great Fathers by =DJVue on deviantART




Diversity of Nature by =DJVue on deviantART



Another Day in Cairo by =DJVue on deviantART

Back From Cairo

Well what do you know? Those 2 weeks passed in a blink of an eye, and here I am again getting ready to go to bed to wake up and go to work tomorrow, and get tied again to the usual mill like some ox. But it was a good vacation, a much needed one actually. I reached a point where I almost lost my mind at work... telephones, problems, complaints, bookings, etc. etc.

Allot has happened, and I have allot of thoughts about many things... but to keep my mind organized, and not let my blog get too long and boring for my faithful readers, I will divide it into several blogs and several paragraphs. Being organized may turn into an obsession sometimes, but it works.

The Hotels

I hate staying at a house when I travel, my idea of a vacation is a room where I know I can throw my clothes everywhere (errrm... yeah I noticed I was just talkin about being organized up there) and know that I will come back from lunch or dinner and find house keeping took care of everything! My clothes are folded on the bed, clean warm towels in the bathroom, the fridge refilled, and everything in place. That's why I prefered that we book a hotel rather than stay at my mother in-law's apartment. Its also a good chance to let my wife relax and kick back, rather than worrying about preparing breakfast and cleaning up after my chaos.

For the first 8 days, we stayed at the simple but perfect Pyramisa Hotel. The hotel is one of the oldest in Cairo, but its cleanliness combined with friendly service make up for the too-simple rooms and staff who most of them seem they were there since World War II. I guess they dont have to worry about turn over over there, sounds promising. Also a good plus for this hotel, is that it offers a beautiful breakfast buffet, something other 5 star hotels in Cairo dont offer. So for 75$ you get a good clean room, 5 star service, an excellent location, and a good starting meal for your day.

The remaining 5 days of our stay, we decided its time to dip in deep into our wallets and move to a more luxurious escape! And what's the best hotel to go to than the one which was voted as the best hotel in Cairo for 3 years in a row and best hotel in AFRICA 2006? Yup, its the one and only Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel!

The view from the rooms is just breath-taking, I have to say its the best view of the Nile I have ever seen in any hotel, and I have seen many! The room itself is the largest in the city according to the Tourism Board of Egypt, the bathroom makes you wana have a shower every hour. And the relaxing bed that you just sink into, makes you hate and loath the bed you have back home no matter how comfortable it is. I must know their secret some day!

Some people may think 250$ per night on room only basis (no meals) is just too much, but I have to disagree. You dont only pay for a room, but you are actually paying for amazing service (the staff are actually friendlier than some family members, lool), Countless extras in your room (my fave is the DVD player and 5 page long movie library), fully equipped gym, and the amazing relaxing facilities! I was just swept away with the relaxation lounge, a bed placed in a quiet room in front of a glass wall facing the Nile, with relaxing music playing in the background. I feel I can write dozens of poems by just sitting in this place, and if I get thirsty, I can treat myself to the complimentary green tea, ginger, or cold water with iced cucumbers.

I think I may go on about the Four Seasons Nile Plaza forever, so I will just stop here. But I warn you that it WILL pop up in many paragraphs later on, lool... SO next time you are in Cairo, dont miss out on this excellent property!

My Transport

I plan my vacations carefully, especially when it comes to the money business. So I booked a Toyota Corolla for my car rental for only 40$ a day. The car was OK, but a bit uncomfortable because of my "big&tall" posture. Also for a guy who drives a 4x4 back home, its a bit difficult to feel this close to the ground, lool... Soooooo, I said to hell with money saving and I opted for a BMW X3 instead! It was the first time I drive it, and I have to say I miss my new mistress terribly... The bad thing, is that (like most expensive cars in Cairo) the license plate was "Customs", meaning that this car was bought outside of Egypt and brought into the country without paying the usual customs. This procedure is used by tourists to bring in their cars for their personal use and then taking it out of the country once they are done with their vacation. You must be wondering "OK... where is the problem????" The problem is that this license plate means $$$ for beggars! I guess thats why the plate is golden yellow, to symbolize some kind of bling-bling, loool....

I actually had a kid run after the car and try to hang on for a distance of 50m! This kid will grow up to become some athlete one day! We were attacked by every type of beggars, from women to men to crippled to even a guy who used to be a thief and became clean and he made his life story on a DVD and is selling it to people in traffic lights! This will bring me to talkin more thoroughly about beggars in Egypt, but that will be another blog... See ya...

Cairo 2 : the Empire Strikes Back

Cairo.... Here I come!!!! That's all I got time to say right now, loool...

Our last battle was fierce and lasted a whole month but I won only 1 day before my exit re-entry visa to Saudi Arabia expired... and now, in round two of the battle... who will win??? Will I overcome the evil Empire of bureaucracy and routine and be a free man with full exemption from the army? Or will the Empire finally have the last word and I am trapped in the pit forever... stay tuned...!