Egypt holds scores from Brotherhood over Gaza protests

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Egypt detained scores of Muslim Brotherhood activists in house raids and street arrests on Wednesday, accusing them of illegally organising protests against the Israeli blockade of Gaza, security sources said.

In Cairo's central Tahrir square, police and plainclothes security men beat fleeing protesters with sticks as they broke up a demonstration of hundreds of people that was led by Islamists and leftists. Six protesters were detained.

"No to the siege of Gaza," protesters chanted. "Break the bonds, remove the barriers," others shouted.

Egypt is under increasing domestic pressure over the situation at the Gaza border. The arrests are the latest in a crackdown on the Brotherhood, Egypt's most powerful opposition group."

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[ProgressiveMuslim]

1. Reminder: Mubarak is supposedly one of the "good guys."

Did anyone catch Bush's remarks when he was in the ME, something along the lines of "following the examples of 'this guy' (Mubarak) because he's been around so long...."

Um.. excuse me. Hosni Mubarak is a despot. Even secular liberal opposition ends up in jail in Egypt.

[msmcghee]

2. Let's see if you can connect your own dots here.

"following the examples of 'this guy' (Mubarak) because he's been around so long...."

.................................. (dots)

Um.. excuse me. Hosni Mubarak is a despot. Even secular liberal opposition ends up in jail in Egypt.

:think:

[bemildred]

3. Egypt cracks down on Gaza protest

Egyptian police have rounded up hundreds of members of the Muslim Brotherhood group accused of holding illegal protests against Israel.

Riot and plainclothes police broke up a pro-Palestinian demonstration near the Arab League headquarters in central Cairo with batons and tear gas.

The protest was called to press the Egyptian government to do more to help people in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The arrests come amid a crackdown on the Brotherhood ahead of council polls.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7205403.stm

[bemildred]

4. Alarm for Egypt as Gaza crisis crosses the border

Egypt is watching with mounting alarm as the crisis in the Gaza Strip spills over onto its own territory - part of a nightmare Middle Eastern scenario in which the ever-volatile Israeli-Palestinian conflict gets dangerously out of hand.

With Egyptian riot police deployed along the border at Rafah after it was breached by thousands of Palestinians, President Hosni Mubarak is pulling out the stops to get Israel to ease its restrictions.

Demonstrations in Cairo and elsewhere today were a reminder that Gaza's suffering generates strong feelings.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/egypt/story/0,,2245565,00.html