*10,000 Egyptian women march against military violence * Salma Shukrallah, Tuesday 20 Dec 2011
*Women organise massive rally against military brutality following spate of violent acts against female protesters that have shocked millions* Prompted by the image of three soldiers stripping a female protester naked and violently assaulting her, thousands of women marched on Tuesday from Cairos Tahrir Square to the nearby Press Syndicate chanting, Egyptian women are a red line and Down with military rule. Women of all ages and backgrounds converged on the Mogamma administrative complex in Tahrir Square after calls went out on Facebook for a womens protest march to express condemnation of images currently circulating on online media venues and in newspapers of young women being harassed, beaten and stripped naked by military personnel. Some marchers wore headscarves, others didnt; others still wore the niqab, or full Islamic face veil. Some Coptic-Christian women participating in the march also carried images of slain Coptic activist Mina Danial, who was shot dead during an attack on Coptic demonstrators by the military in October. Other marchers carried Egyptian flags bearing the cross-and-crescent symbol. Older women were also among the demonstrators, braving the long march from Tahrir to the Press Syndicate despite weak health and obvious distress over recent events. Many mothers took part with their daughters. I came because I oppose violence against women; because I oppose violence against any Egyptian, saidprotester Noha El-Khouly, who learned of the march from her daughter. Women have been targeted since the Mohamed Mahmoud clasheslast month, when men were sent in to systematically harass female activists, said protester Somaia Ahmed, a 17-year-old member of the No to Military Trials campaign. In the last sit-in, women were the militarys primary target. These attacks are no coincidence. Although Ahmed believes Tuesdays march is more humanitarian in nature than political with most women coming simply to register their opposition to violence several of the chants heard at the event bore deeply political overtones. Many condemned military rule, while others demanded a swift handover of executive power to an elected civil authority. Dont be scared, say it loud, the council must go, they chanted, along with, We want a civil state, down with military rule. Protesters also drew parallels between Egypts ruling military council and the former regime of ousted president Hosni Mubarak. The council transformed the army to become like the police, some chanted. In 2005, several female protesters were similarly stripped naked and assaulted by police-linked thugs in an effort to terrorise women away from political participation. Women at Tuesdays march carried banners depicting a womans face and the arm of a soldier that read, Your hand should be cut off. As women marched from Tahrir Square to Talaat Harb Street in downtown Cairo, dozens of well-wishers waved in solidarity from surrounding balconies. Protesters called on those watching from their homes and offices to come down and join the march. Numerous passersby, meanwhile, stopped to express their sympathy for the marchers cause. A number of men, eager to help, surrounded the women, acting as human shields against any potential attack. Protesters numbers increased gradually until the march reached the Press Syndicate, where another demonstration was being staged by parliamentarians similarly protesting military violence. By the time the womens march reached the syndicate, the number of demonstrators had exceeded some 10,000, after which they eventually made their way back to Tahrir Square. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/29824.aspx * "Restraint" Proves Hollow as More Protesters Killed* 0<http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/3669/scaf-restraint-proves-hollow-as-more-protesters-ki#comments> Dec 20 2011 by Bel Trew <http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/contributors/49813> [image: Listen to this page using ReadSpeaker]<http://app.readspeaker.com/cgi-bin/rsent?customerid=5919&lang=en_us&readid=rscontent&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jadaliyya.com%2Fpages%2Findex%2F3669%2Fscaf-restraint-proves-hollow-as-more-protesters-ki> [image: [Protesters rushing towards the field hospital in Tahrir square carrying a wounded man after military police attack on them. Image from Reuters]] [Protesters rushing towards the field hospital in Tahrir square carrying a wounded man after military police attack on them. Image from Reuters] Another dawn raid by armed security forces on Tahrir Square leaves more dead protesters as Egyptian army faces more local and international criticism for violent crackdown on dissent. A fifteen-year-old boy is in critical condition and there are unconfirmed reports of another four casualties after Egyptian Central Security Forces (CSF) and army personnel stormed Tahrir Square in the early hours of Tuesday morning, as clashes raged on into their fifth consecutive day. The latest attacks follow a statement by Egypts ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on Monday in which it denied using excessive force against protesters and praised the high levels of self restraint exercised by military police. At 3:30am, CSF troops and military units arrived at Omar Makram Mosque, located adjacent to Cairos flashpoint Tahrir Square, following a similar strategy as the night before, when two protesters were killed. Using batons, live ammunition and tear gas, the CSF pushed protesters from the mosque and nearby Kasr El-Aini Street. Security forces tore down a tent erected the day before, along with a banner depicting the female protester who had earlier been stripped and beaten by military police. Protesters also accused security forces of burning medical supplies and blankets. Clashes between activists and police continued on the nearby Talaat Harb and Bab El-Louk streets and in front of the Nile-Ritz Carlton Hotel. Ahram Online witnessed several protesters attempting unsuccessfully, as it turned out to speak to security forces. In contrast to yesterday's attacks, the army remained on the periphery of the square, allowing the CSF to do most of the fighting. Last night also saw an escalation of violence by security forces using automatic weapons. The use of machine guns was unbelievable; it didnt stop, says Nazly, twenty-eight, a protester lightly injured in last month's clashes on Mohamed Mahmoud Street. Weve become so accustomed to the shooting that weve stopped running. Were no longer afraid of getting shot. Stone-throwing protesters faced off against police, who took the lead in attacking the square last night, successfully pushing the CSF back to Kasr El-Aini Street on several occasions. Those in the square also reported the liberal use of live ammunition. The bullet wounds were deeper and bigger than we usually see. I saw so many of these injuries, said Nazly. We treated them in makeshift field hospitals since ambulances refused to come to Tahrir. Yesterday evening, ambulances usually stationed in the vicinity of Omar Makram Mosque and along Kasr El-Aini moved to the area behind the Shepheard Hotel, a safe distance from the fighting. Panicked protesters called the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre, a Cairo-based rights watchdog, and the health ministry to urge paramedics to return to the field. The army remained near the mosque for the duration of the attacks. I saw two men die from gunshot wounds, said twenty-one-year-old protester Lina, who spoke at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. I found bloody clothes and bullets and held them aloft, only metres from the army. I thought I could shame their conscience. I was wrong. Revolutionary groups convened two press conferences on Tuesday afternoon to condemn the violent behaviour of security forces and the SCAF. Egyptian security forces have also faced a barrage foreign criticism. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton described recent events as shocking, calling the behaviour of the security forces a disgrace. During the recent clashes, the army appears to have fortified the improvised wall on Al-Sheikh Rihan Street, making it two concrete blocks wide. At approximately 5:30am, security forces withdrew to the Omar Makram Mosque side of Tahrir Square. Sporadic bursts of gunfire could still be heard as limited clashes continued around the US Embassy in Cairos nearby Garden City district. Hundreds are now participating in a womans protest march that started at 4pm on Tuesday in solidarity with female protesters who have been subjected to sexual assault and beatings at the hands of security forces. There are fears among protesters that the movement may be losing public support, but morale in the square remains high nevertheless. Now were used to fighting a daily battle, said 20-year-old protester and graffiti artist Mohammad. The fact that weve held out this long against police and the army just shows how powerful we are. *[Developed in partnership with Ahram Online.]* [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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