1526 GMT: Four American journalists in Egypt were arrested yesterday in Suez while filming anti-government protests. According to the report, they were arrested by civilians and then turned over to the military. Jason Mojica, a former Al Jazeera reporter, two of Mojica's crew, and Egyptian-American energy consultant Sherif Helwa were detained.
1518 GMT: As crowds grow near the cabinet building, Tahrir Square, Cairo, the Guardian's Jack Shenker assesses the reaction to the SCAF speech:
"That sort of language, coupled with the fact that companies in downtown Cairo appear to have sent their employees home early (we don't yet know if this was on official orders or not), has led some to believe that the state is preparing an attack on the ongoing Tahrir sit-in - many activists are using social media sites to call on Egyptians to come down and defend the square. But at this stage predictions of trouble are rumour and conjecture.
"Elsewhere shouting matches have broken out on live television between protest representatives and army officials; whatever happens over the next few hours, it's clear that there are two competing visions of Egypt's revolution being put forward, by the revolutionaries on the one hand and the armed forces on the other - both increasingly view the other as illegitimate, and neither are showing any sign of backing down."
1511 GMT: Meanwhile, the Revolution Youth Coalition has held its own press conference, calling for the resignation on Prime Minister Essam Sharaf. They have accused Sharaf of being counter-revolutionary, and have condemned today's statements by The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). According to Ahram News,
"The coalition listed four demands in its statement: a full delineation of the powers and prerogatives of the SCAF and those of the cabinet; administrative participation in the current transitional period; the adoption of economic policies favouring Egypt’s 40 million living under the poverty line; and a complete purging of remnants of the Mubarak regime from all state bodies."
The crowds in Tahrir Square are still growing, according to multiple sources.
1502 GMT: In contrast to the earlier conciliatory comments made by SCAF, Maj. Gen. Mohsen el-Fangary has said in a televised message that the government will take “all necessary measures” to halt challenges to the authority and legitimacy of the government. Furthermore, though the SCAF spokesman pledged support to the revolution, he also warned that the military would stop “anyone who would disrupt public order and services.”
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Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 9:13
Hama, 1 July 2011In this city that bears the scars of one of the modern Middle East’s bloodiest episodes, the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad has begun to help Syrians imagine life after dictatorship as it forges new leaders, organizes its own defense and reckons with a grim past in an uncertain experiment that showcases the forces that could end Mr. Assad’s rule.
