Opinion: Egypt on the brink (Egyptian Gazette)

[struggle4progress]

By Manal Abdul Aziz - The Egyptian Gazette
Monday, October 17, 2011 03:08:53 PM

CAIRO - Despite the people’s continuous manifestation of their right to have freedom of expression by holding demonstrations, the official mindset continues to reject such a means of expressing opinion and considers it a threat to the public security.

This has always been the case, even before January 25 revolution when the security agency used live bullets against the protesters whose numbers exceeded their expectations. Accordingly the merely peaceful protest turned into a nationwide revolution ...

Since taking office, SCAF has constantly reiterated its protection of the revolution and the right to demonstrate. However, the cumulation of daily demonstrations organised by different sectors of society and the repeated sit-ins held by Copts over different sectarian events, together with the regular Friday demonstrations in Tahrir Square to raise public demands or oppose some governmental stands, seemed too much for SCAF to tolerate.

We started to see violent reactions at the end of most of these demonstrations through the use of certain thugs who confront demonstrators on behalf of the military forces, the same means utilised by the security agency against peaceful protesters before the January revolution ...

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