Tunisians Thank Anonymous as North Africa Explodes

January 25, 2011 by admin

News @ 6:00pm pst
Tunisian government spokesmen says cabinet reshuffle is imminent.
Schools were closed today and many students joined the protests
Tunisian army chief says military will 'guarantee' the revolution.
{thanks, but no thanks is my opinion} I take that back, found out this is the general that refused Ben Ali's order to crack down and shoot people. He's being celebrated as a hero. All in all, it is much better to have the army on the people's side in a revolution. Tends to be less blood shed that way.

Tunisian TV station owner arrested for treason yesterday has been released.
Paris prosecutors have opened a case against Ben Ali and his property in France has been seized. (France is shocked, shocked, to find Ben Ali has ill got gains stowed away in France. But surprise, they knew just were to find them!)
Sarkozy says "The French people support the Tunisian people."
Sure we know that. What about you and the other French Imperialists?

Now I'm going to take a break from the North Africa story. I'm going to watch American network news at 6:30 were I'm likely to hear nothing about it for half an hour.
Back again. Katie Couric and CBS was a safe choice. Tunisia who? Oprah squeezed the story out.

Update: 4:08pm pst. France24 is now reporting that committee will replace Ghannouchi's interim government. France has seized Ben Ali's assets in France, said to be worth millions, and is investigating.

This Monday morning in Tunis, thousands of protesters joined hundreds that had violated the curfew and camped out overnight in front of the PM's Headquarters. They are demanding that Ghannouchi step down. There is reportedly a cabinet re-shuffling underway but there is also a demand that the current interim government be replaced by a council of elders.

But the there is more tension in the air of Tunis this morning because the police have set up barricades around the PM Headquarters and aren't letting people in or out thus cutting off the protesters behind barbed wire. Look for updates here latter as I get more info, you'll get more.

Protests also continued yesterday in Algeria, Libya, Jordan, and Yemen.

It remains to be seen what effect the latest leak of "the Palestinian Papers" will have on the uprising in Arab North Africa.

This morning France24 reported on the new uprisings in Algeria and the support Anonymous is giving this. I recorded this with my camcorder from the TV and put it on YouTube which accounts for the quality. You'll find the original of Elias's footage below in the Algeria update section, some of which was used in this France24 report. This illustrates how even the major media outlets that are covering this story are getting much of their matertial. It will also give you a clue as to how I can sometimes scoop them here on the DailyKos without ever leaving Los Angeles. It's a different world. BTW the best source of up to the minute coverage I found is the FRANCE24 live feed. They have people on the ground in North Africa and do regular updates.

The latest on Tunisia: This morning's France24 on the situation in Tunisia, also brought to you via the camorder - YouTube method.

Tunisians Thank Anonymous

Demonstration Freiheit für Tunesien in Köln am 15.01.2011
English translation

First - in the name of all Tunisian people - I want to thank Anonymous. Anonymous were the only ones to help us. Anonymous has blocked all governmental websites [of Tunisia] because they [the Tunisian government] have blocked our internet access so we may not get information. Thank you Anonymous! We want to let you know that you have found new allies and that there are many more people living in oppression.

And that you have won us to aid you in this fight against all dictators that still remain in this world.

We will never forget. We will never forgive. We are Anonymous. We are legion.

More Unrest in Tunisia, Spreading to Other Arab Countries. James LaGiglia Reports

Anyone wanting to know more about Anonymous, OpTunisia or OpAlgeria should definitely checkout barrettbrown's diary.

Click here for more about Anonymous' Operation Swift Assist for Tunisia.

Jon Stewart covers Tunisian Revolution [Tunisia part starts about a minute in]

Current Events:

Tunisia Today

Protesters camp outside PM's office in new push for government to resign

AFP - Hundreds of Tunisians defied a night-time curfew and camped out in front of Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi's office Sunday in a bid to force the government to resign following president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's ouster.

Protesters said the revolt against Ben Ali has not gone far enough and should be followed up by the removal of all old-regime figures from the leadership and the abolition of Ben Ali's powerful RCD party.

The protest defied a night-time curfew and a state of emergency that bans any public assemblies but security forces did not intervene -- in stark contrast to the violent crackdown seen in the final days of Ben Ali's rule.

This is troubling - Tunis: Residents of Khadra district patrol neighborhood against pro Ben Ali thugs.

Algeria Today

"URGENT ALGERIA" VIDEO TAKEN AT THE SEAT OF RCD 22/01/11

France24 report on Sunday - Algeria: After Tunisia a rise of revolt in Algeria?

After riots in Tunisia neighbouring Algeria has also seen demonstrations break out. Some believe the departure of Zine El Abedine Ben Ali may give rise to a similar scenario in Algeria. After years of civil war, Algerian authorities are particularly watchful of events in neighbouring Tunisia. Here's more from our correspondent in Algeria.

Libya Today

Demonstrations in Al Bayda, Libya in 2011 - uploaded 23/01/11

Yemen Today

Yemen arrests protest leader

Thousands protest

Karman, who heads the Yemeni activist group Women Journalists Without Chains, had also called on Yemenis to support the Tunisian people.

Her arrest comes a day after thousands of Yemeni students, activists and opposition groups held protests at Sanaa University, demanding Saleh's ouster in what appeared to be the first large-scale challenge to the strongman.

Around 2,500 students, activists and opposition groups chanted slogans against the president, comparing him to Tunisia's ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, whose people were similarly enraged by economic woes and government corruption.

"Oh, Ali, join your friend Ben Ali," protesters chanted.

Police fired tear gas at the demonstrators, whose grievances include proposed constitutional changes that would allow the president to rule for a lifetime.

Since the Tunisian turmoil, Saleh has ordered income taxes slashed in half and has instructed his government to control prices. He also ordered a heavy deployment of anti-riot police and soldiers to several key areas in the capital and its surroundings to prevent any riots.

EFF which got pointed in this direction ten day ago with their bulletin and the Tunisian government's Internet tricks has published this: Early Lessons from the Tunisian Revolution

YouTube had been blocked in Tunisia since 2007, but that did not stop Tunisians from using the site to share videos of the riots and protests with the world. Tunisians shared details about the clashes between the unarmed protesters and police using live ammunition on Twitter. The first rumors of a coup on January 12th were also spread on the social networking site.

The Struggle Continues...



Here is a recap of my other DKos dairies on this subject:
Huffington Post Disses the Jasmine Revolution
Tunisia: A Single Tweet Can Start A Prairie Fire!
Anonymous plans Op Swift Assist in Tunisia
Arrested Pirate Party Member Becomes Tunisian Minister
Is Libya Next? Anonymous Debates New Operation
Tunis: This Photo was Taken 66 Minutes Ago
The WikiLeaks Revolution: Anonymous Strikes Tunisia
EMERGENCY: DKos Must Act Now to Protect Tunisian Bloggers!
Free Software & Internet Show Communism is Possible
BREAKING - Digital Sit-Ins: The Internet Strikes Back!
Cyber War Report: New Front Opens Against Internet Coup d'état
Operation PayBack: 1st Cyber War Begins over WikiLeaks
The Internet Takeover: Why Google is Next
BREAKING: Goodbye Internet Freedom as Wikileaks is Taken Down
BREAKING NEWS: Obama Admin Takes Control of Internet Domains!
Things Even Keith Olbermann Won't Cover - UPDATE: VICTORY!!!
Stop Internet Blacklist Bill Now!
Sweet Victory on Internet Censorship: Senate Backs Off!
Internet Engineers tell the Senate to Back Off!
Why is Net Neutrality advocate Free Press MIA?
Obama's Internet Coup d'état
Julian Assange on Threat to Internet Freedom