"Thousands of Yemenis today took to the streets of the capital, Sana’a, to demand a change of government, inspired by the unrest that has ousted the Tunisian leader and spread to *Egypt](Egypt | The Guardian).* “The people want a change in president,” protesters chanted at Sana’a University in one of a series of demonstrations across the city – the largest in a wave of anti-government protests. President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key ally of the US in a battle against the resurgent Yemeni arm of al-Qaida, has ruled the Arabian peninsula state for more than 30 years." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/27/yemen-protesters-demand-change-governmen
So they want the current presidents/dictators to step down ? And then what ?
Replace them with new ones ? What difference will that bring in their lives ?
More ordinary citizens are now defying the police. A young demonstrator told me that, when running from the police on Tuesday, he entered a building and rang an apartment bell at random. It was 4am. A 60-year-old man opened the door, fear obvious on his face. The demonstrator asked the man to hide him from the police. The man asked to see his identity card and invited him in, waking one of his three daughters to prepare some food for the young man. They ate and drank tea together and chatted like lifelong friends.
In the morning, when the danger of arrest had receded, the man accompanied the young protester into the street, stopped a taxi for him and offered him some money. The young man refused and thanked them. As they embraced the older man said: “It is I who should be thanking you for defending me, my daughters and all Egyptians.”
That is how the Egyptian spring began. Tomorrow, we will see a real battle.
Amazing LIVE Coverage of Egyptian Protests, Alexandria ALJazeera office Stopped from broadcasting!!
People try to throw police truck into the Nile, light it on fire
Look at it this way. These are interesting times EVEN if everyone goes back home.
This is history in making. People will talk about these events for sure in the times to come. It does not matter now whether all these movements get to succeed.
What's interesting is that all these countries are those whose governments are considered America's puppets. But looking from this perspective, we have yet to see movements in Algeria, Saudi and Jordan.
On the other hand, it would also be interesting to see if countries with dictators who are already anti-American happen to see such revolts. Places like Syria and Libya.
Iran's case is interesting. Because their "dictator" shares power with democratic government. Another country to keep an eye on.
Saudi King Abdullah Ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud called Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and “was reassured” about the situation in Egypt, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.
“During the call, the king said, ‘Egypt is a country of Arabism and Islam. No Arab and Muslim human being can bear that some infiltrators, in the name of freedom of expression, have infiltrated into the brotherly people of Egypt, to destabilize its security and stability and they have been exploited to spew out their hatred in destruction, intimidation, burning, looting and inciting a malicious sedition,’” the news agency reported.
Saudi Arabia “strongly condemns” the protest, it said.
