8 Feb. 2011 - BBC reports largest demonstrations yet in Egypt

[Anti Federalist]

Epic!



Egypt protests: Hosni Mubarak's concessions rejected

8 February 2011 Last updated at 20:29 GMT

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12394941

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians have poured into Cairo's Tahrir Square for the latest protest calling for Hosni Mubarak's government to step down.

Correspondents say it is the biggest demonstration since the protests began on 25 January.

It comes despite the government's announcement of its plans for a peaceful transfer of power.

President Mubarak has said he will stay until elections in September.

In Tahrir Square, attempts by the army to check the identity cards of those joining the demonstration were abandoned because of the sheer weight of numbers.

Our correspondent says the message to the authorities is simple - there is huge support from all walks of Egyptian life for the protests, and the government's concessions are not enough.

Wael Ghonim, a Google executive was detained and blindfolded by state security forces for 12 days, was feted by the crowds as he entered Tahrir Square.

The protesters are continuing to call for Mr Mubarak to leave office immediately, and say they are sceptical about any transition managed by the government.

[pcosmar]

There are also several thousand protesting at the Parliament Building, as well as other cities around the country.
And today workers went on strike. Suez Canal workers are on strike.

Mubarak and the regime have got to go. Non-Negotiable.

[HOLLYWOOD]

Next Stop for Mubarak: German Luxury Clinic?

I've been to Baden-Baden... nice Notice how all these Tyrant leaders protect one another if you play along with the Money Master rules. I guess $70 Billion buys many governments and their asylums.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Next-Stop-for-Mubarak-German-Luxury-Clinic-6899

http://news.google.com/news/tbn/aHnZ3Cleg8EJ
As we've learned, there aren't a lot of options (http://www.theatlanticwire.com/features/view/feature/Mubarak-Wont-Leave-Unless-a-French-Villa-Is-Waiting-3125) for an ousted dictator seeking refuge these days. So perhaps, despite declaring he'd die on Egyptian soil, Hosni Mubarak really would consider the plan supposedly in the works: The latest, from Spiegel Online (http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,743998,00.html), is that Mubarak may make his way out of the embattled country via a medical trip to Germany.

The U.S. and other Western governments have been in contact (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/world/middleeast/06egypt.html?_r=2&sq=mubarak%20and%20germany&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=all) with Egyptian officials in an attempt to coordinate the least-bumpy transition possible from the Mubarak regime to a democratic government. According to Der Spiegel, these talks have resulted in plans for the dictator's stay in a German hospital, specifically a "luxury clinic" near Baden-Baden. Though the German publication couldn't obtain a comment from the specific hospital, they discovered that the Max-Grundig-Klinik-Bühlerhöhe boasts the "comfort and service of a top hotel" and a well-respected oncology department on its website.

So how does Germany feel about Mubarak camping out in one of its hospitals? "Politicians from Germany's center-right coalition government under Chancellor Angela Merkel have said in recent days they were open to a hospital stay by Mubarak in Germany," Spiegel reporters Björn Hengst and Christoph Schwennicke write.

Daily Intel's Nitasha Tiku (http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/02/mubaraks_exit_plan_involves_a.html)also notes the clinic in question's oncology department, reminding readers that "Mubarak had his gullbladdar and an intestinal polyp removed at another German clinic, but doctors quashed the cancer rumor at the time." A quick search of the facility produces photos depicting a complex with a tennis court and descriptions of the "four star rooms" with a staff willing to fulfill any special requests. "Based on the staff photos scrolling across its website, bellhop Frank Meuschke is no voluptuous Ukranian nurse, but we bet he'll be willing to lend a sympathetic ear about the good intentions of passing down your 30-year reign to your son," Tiku predicts.

AOL News Contributor Lauren Frayer (http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/08/is-hosni-mubarak-heading-to-germany/) calls Mubarak's exit through Germany "face-saving," and predicts it "would be heralded as victory for demonstrators calling for his ouster and would also give Egypt's new vice president some breathing room to implement US-backed reforms."

Others have made observations as to where Mubarak will go if and when he leaves Egypt. Wired's Noah Shactman (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/01/mubaraks-going-to-saudi-arabia-cia-funded-forecasters-say/) scrutinizes Mubarak's previous travel patterns for clues to his next destination. Shactman notes that, based on Mubarak's history of medical travel, he will most likely choose a location with well-respected medical facilities. He points out, however, that European countries home to large Arab populations may be hard to penetrate, ruling out Germany and France. Shactman settles on Saudi Arabia, a favorite of Mubarak's that has also recently accepted fellow ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia.

[pcosmar]

@mfatta7: We've now fully occupied the parliament street and barricades have been setup. Searching for a blanket though #jan25

@monasosh: Seems like ppl don't believe we actually took over the parlimant st,they can't stop offering us food & blankets. Hehe revolution spa #Jan25

@Rouelshimi: Some guys just put up a sign on parliment saying "closed until the system falls" #jan25

They are in both Tahrir and in front of Parliament.

[osan]

Epic!



Egypt protests: Hosni Mubarak's concessions rejected

8 February 2011 Last updated at 20:29 GMT

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12394941

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians have poured into Cairo's Tahrir Square for the latest protest calling for Hosni Mubarak's government to step down.


This is odd. Just this morning on NPR they were reporting that the demonstrations had largely abated, that most people had returned to their "normal" daily routines, that only a comparatively small contingent of protesters remained, and that security forces were herding them out of the street so that automobile traffic could resume.

Record size? Small remnants? Which is it? Whose word may we trust? Anyone's?

[Nate-ForLiberty]

This is odd. Just this morning on NPR they were reporting that the demonstrations had largely abated, that most people had returned to their "normal" daily routines, that only a comparatively small contingent of protesters remained, and that security forces were herding them out of the street so that automobile traffic could resume.

Record size? Small remnants? Which is it? Whose word may we trust? Anyone's?


Al-Jazeera is good.

[pcosmar]

Record size? Small remnants? Which is it? Whose word may we trust? Anyone's?

I go with the people that live there an report live online.
They also provide video and pictures.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXhRWd2t4gY

[Anti Federalist]

///

[Athena]

Yeah, today was the biggest protest yet in the 16 days since this began. No room in Tahrir square, so the "new Tahrir" is the Parliament building. I hope they non-violently occupy State TV next.

I really, really hope Western media doesn't abandon them for reports on sports, American Idol, and other stupid shit before whatever happens, happens.

Also, join the online march:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=126197157451259

And invite all the pro-freedom folks you know. Yeah, it's silly, but it will mean something to the protesters when it reaches 1 million.