Sunday, February 13, 2011

A massive police deployment in Algeria manifestation aborted by the change

The square of 1 May in Algiers is not, for now, the Tahrir in Cairo. Yesterday focused as much on some 2,000 protesters surrounded by tens of thousands of police. The entourage that he wanted to vindicate the "system change" over a distance of four kilometers from the center became a focus on capital and so did in several big cities in Algeria.

One of the first to arrive at the square was the nonagenarian Abdennour Ali Yahia, honorary president of the Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights, which the riot he snapped: "Go you to your house." "We're not going to prevent us manifest!" He replied, his voice still strong. "The show of force does not impress us," said chest out.

Tempers flared and the old opposition was shaken and even received a blow in one hand. Abdennour still got the strength to scream, the assembled there, "free and democratic Algeria!", "No police state!", "Bouteflika thief!", "The people demand to change the regime!" and "We continue to be revolutionary!" Reach the 1 May was already a small feat.

To abort the manifestations of the Interior Ministry decided to stop the big cities. Not circulating in Algiers buses, not many taxis or commuter trains and several streets were closed to traffic to prevent the squad go to the rendezvous. The Internet connection was cut, as happened in Egypt ten days ago, but users complained that they are sailing very slowly.

The capital awoke taken by between 26,000 and 30,000 riot began their deployment on Friday afternoon and, for one, tried to silence the spontaneous jubilation by the fall of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. The officers took their mandatory material-batons, tear gas etc, but not firearms to prevent greater evils.

The Interior Ministry requisitioned civilian buses to carry their agents because their vehicles were not sufficient. Disproportionately heavy deployment This deployment is the demonstration of fear that has a regime in the past, "said Said Sadi, leader of a small secular opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Grouping (RCD), as part of the National Coordinator Change and Democracy which called the protest yesterday.

The Civil Government of Algiers on Feb. 7 banned for 19 years continues in Algeria emergency legislation vetoes outdoor events. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika promised, on February 3 that the rise in short the entire country except in the capital where "reasons of public order" advocate keeping the ban.

Shortly after 11.00, the time of start of the march, was when more people gathered in the square. There were about 2,000 people, perhaps 2,500, according to estimates by police said Algerian journalists but reduced the figure to a thousand while summoning the rose to 10,000. They consoled and that many applicants to demonstrate remained blocked by these human barriers uniformed riot police were on the streets leading to the plaza or controls sometimes set street miles from the rendezvous.

A good proportion of agents were women and were responsible in particular to stop the protesters from the same sex. Abdenour reported "more than 400 arrests" in Algiers and RCD deputy Arezki Aider complained: "I've been arrested five times in one morning!". Interior only acknowledged in a statement, 14 detainees for a short time.

The rest are apparently mere withholding. In Oran, the detainees were Annaba 70 and 30, according to the website of newspaper El Watan. Clashes between police and young protesters on the outskirts of May 1 were moderate, compared with the violence of the protests in early January by the loss of purchasing power.

A score of young supporters of President, which the independent press branded as thugs for hire, also broke into the square shouting "Bouteflika is not Mubarak!". Minutes before fading over the past four demonstrators. Yes he was arrested by military, forcibly entered a police van and taken to police station was Ali Belhadj, 54, one of the two main leaders of the Islamic Salvation Front would have won the elections in 1992 were it not the Army gave a coup to prevent it.

Belhadj served a sentence of twelve years after its release, has banned any political activity. Surrounded by several hundred faithful loudly repeating "The system must fall!" Belhadj, dressed in the "kami" Islamist, joined a demonstration organized by a coordinating committee composed of secular formations.

The presence of this former preacher for which the Constitution should be based on the Koran was a big surprise. Algerian Islamist movements have pointed to another group, the National Alliance for Change, which was not supported into the street. Neither wanted to manifest the Socialist Forces Front, social ideology, although some of its members if the square attended individually.

This applies, for example, Ali Rachedi, he thought while the concentration was dispersed, "Beyond the number of attendees, the event is a success because more than a decade ago that people did not try to march in the capital." "The fear psychological wall has collapsed today." "We now need to implement a dynamic to topple the regime."

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