Fighting in the streets
Feb 2, 2011, 8:59 AM | Updated: Mar 28, 2011, 3:48 pm
Dave Ross Commentary – Listen: Fighting in the streets
After a week of peaceful demonstrations, the Mubarak regime introduced a new twist — start street fights.
Within hours of Mubarak announcing he wouldn’t run again, the pro-Mubarak side appeared, riding horses and camels, telling the anti-Mubarak demonstrators “you got your wish, he’s not running again, now go home” — and then beating them up. The opposition immediately suspected paid instigators.
Mohammed ElBaradei, the nobel prize winner who has offered to run a transition team, called them government thugs:
“Criminal regime using criminal acts.”
But you can see how Mubarak lasted 30 years. He can obey the US demand that the army stay out of it: and at the same time change the story line. Let the cameras show the world what happens when authority breaks down. Make people think, hmm, maybe a dictator isn’t so bad after all. And embarrass the US for telling him not to restore order:
“I can see hundreds of people, hundreds of people are running away from that fire. I can’t see who is firing. It’s a completely chaotic situation, lots of people stomping on people to try and get away.”
Maybe calling for more civility would help. I know we like to demonize American politics for its ugliness — but once in a while, events remind us that we have no idea…
