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Indybay Feature

Protest this weekend in support of Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Morocco uprisings

Date:
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Time:
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Event Type:
Protest
Organizer/Author:
Location Details:
U.N. Plaza at Market and 7th Street in San Francisco

PLEASE JOIN US!!!

Libya is under attack by the long ruling, deranged and brutal dictator, Muammer Qaddafi. Throught the past few days hundreds of people have been left dead and thousands injured. Medical aid is exremely scarce and there is NO international media allowed within the country. We need all our brothers and sisters from around the world to join in and let our voices be heard-ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

Qaddafi needs to be held accountable for his atrocious war crimes. Most of the west has stood in silence and refused to acknowledge the massacre happening in Libya as we speak.

This is to show our support for Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria, Iran and all other countries fighting for freedom. Spread the word and hope to see you all there!!!
Added to the calendar on Wed, Feb 23, 2011 8:35PM
§Middle East Unrest Continues
by more
Today, our attention turns to North Africa, where protests staged yesterday in Morocco turned violent and fatal for some and unrest continues in beleaguered Libya.

As pro-democracy protests spread like a virus through many parts of the Middle East, social media is still providing both a tool for organizers and a valuable window for the outside world into the volatile and intricate political situations in many countries.

Unrest in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Bahrain and elsewhere has taken center stage in world news for the past several weeks. In many of these countries, the government has completely or partially cut off Internet access during protests, especially since protesters have been using sites such as Twitter and Facebook to organize and gather support.

But the situation in Morocco, a constitutional monarchy with a notably pro-democracy king, is quite different from what we’ve seen in countries where decades-long dictatorships have predictably brewed strong and angry dissent.

The Kingdom of Morocco’s current ruler, King Mohammed VI, has reigned since July 1999. The dual-house parliament is led by Prime Minister Abbas el-Fassi, who came into office in September 2007.

Protesters are asking the king to relinquish some of his powers and dismiss the current government, in addition to other constitutional reform demands. Before the weekend, a government spokesperson noted that the administration was not too worried about the protests, saying the country “for a long time has been engaged in an irreversible process towards democracy and widening public liberties.”

The protests were not expected to escalate into lootings and arson, but that’s exactly what happened yesterday. While most protesters were peaceful at the outset, some youth and “troublemakers” began committing acts of vandalism and theft, accorrding to Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui, who spoke in a press conference today.

Currently, approximately 128 people, mostly security officers, are reported injured, 120 people have been arrested, and five are reported dead, the latter specifically due to a bank that was set on fire. It is estimated that more than 37,000 Moroccans showed up to protest in dozens of cities around the country.

Historically, Morocco has been known to censor websites that might allow for certain freedoms of expression or that facilitate or encourage negative portrayals of the government. The usual roster of social networks have been used to coordinate protests in thr country over the weekend; in particular, several Facebook groups have been formed, and Twitter users are employing the hashtag #feb20. However, we are not aware that any censorship is currently occurring in Morocco.

More peaceful protests are slated to continue today in Morocco.

Meanwhile, in Libya, the Internet was shut down for six hours during violent protests against longtime dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi. When the country’s Internet access was returned, users immediately began turning to Twitter and Google maps to spread news and alert the world of known fatalities.

Yesterday, Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam made a video statement, even as violence continued in the troubled country and foreign governments called for the end of the use of lethal force by the Libyan government.

Read More With Links To Videos:
http://www.araborganizing.org/blog/archives/361

Comments (Hide Comments)
by ?
Only by putting an end to the capitalist profit motive in the USA, which only a labor general strike can do, can we put an end to US imperialism abroad. Far away countries get immediate demonstrations but the class struggle at home gets nothing in San Francisco. I am not going out in the predicted snow to the desperately poor workingclass Tenderloin to wave signs about foreign countries. I will wait until March 19 when we have our peace rally condemning the invasion of Iraq while at the same time picketing various hotels in support of labor struggles right here at home where we can do the most good and only we can make the difference right here in the belly of the beast. The cause of the problems of the people around the world is US imperialism, which only labor can end. And by the way, Wisconsin is 85% white, European descendants. Those workers have nothing in common with the fascist, millionaire war criminal sitting in the White House who happens to be black. We are black, brown, yellow, red and white, same enemy, same fight. Kick the bosses in the ass; all power to the workingclass. Those who labor must rule.
with you more. Our time will come - indeed I hope the people see fast how our money for infrastructure, alternative energy sources, public housing, free education, guaranteed healthcare for life etcetera is being wasted by these imperialist wars.
by not the enemy
We need unity. We, all of us should be bound more by what we are against. (Says above poster who criticized 'the Left.')
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