Let Down by Reformists, Working-Class Iranians Join Widespread Protests

Thousands have taken to the streets in Iran's largest and deadliest protests since 2009. Exiled Iranian activist Dariush Arjmandi says demonstrators are challenging economic mismanagement and repressive state control, not pushing the regime change agenda of Iran's global foes

Thousands of Ultraconservative Muslims Rally for Sharia in Egyptian Constitution

RT.COM: More than 10,000 ultraconservative Muslims staged a demonstration in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday, demanding that Egypt’s new constitution be based on Sharia law. The protest reflects the debate over the role of Islam in the nation’s future.

Many were bussed from outside Cairo to take part in the rally, where demonstrators waved the Islamist and Egyptian flags and held traditional Friday prayers.

Protesters chanted, "Sharia is our constitution" and "The people demand the application of God's law.”

Many demonstrators collected signatures for a petition, in which they ask for the Sharia to become "the basis of all laws," meaning that Egypt’s laws would be subject to religious interpretation and clearance.

The drafting of Egypt’s new constitution has been fraught with controversy since ex-president Hosni Mubarak was ousted and replaced by Mohamed Morsi.

Conservative Islamists are stepping up pressure on the ruling Muslim Brotherhood party to override liberal and secular objections to Sharia law. The party has repeatedly been accused of not advocating strongly enough for Islamic rule. » | Friday, November 09, 2012

Mike Hannah Reporting from Tahrir Square, Cairo
Thousands gather in Tahrir Square ahead of Friday prayers as frustrations with the military reaches a climax.

Greece Brought to a Halt by Austerity Protest Strike
TIMES ONLINE: Much of Greece ground to a halt today as public and private sector unions called another general strike in opposition to tough government austerity measures and proposed pension reforms aimed at restoring fiscal order for the battered economy.

Traffic stopped moving around the centre of Athens with streets closed off as an estimated 20,000 demonstrators holding banners and chanting slogans marched towards the parliament building in Syntagma square. There were separate mass demonstrations in the northern city of Thessaloniki.

More than two million workers of the five million strong Greek workforce have walked off the job after a 24-hour nationwide general strike by ADEDY, the 800,000-strong civil servants’ union, was joined by the larger General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), which represents about two million workers in the private sector.

The mood was tense in parts of the capital as several hundred demonstrators aligned to anarchist or extreme leftist groups also took to the streets.

At one point, small groups of rock-throwing protestors clashed with riot police, who fired tear gas to disperse them. Although they constitute a relatively small minority of the largely peaceful but very vocal demonstrations, they were closely watched as they often clash with police or cause damage to property. >>> Philip Panaglos in Athens | Thursday, March 11, 2010

La Grèce paralysée par les grèves
LE FIGARO: Une grève nationale touchant les transports et les services publics continue de figer la Grèce pour le deuxième jour consécutif. Près de 10.000 personnes manifestent ce jeudi à Athènes contre le plan d'austérité.

La Grèce affronte ce jeudi sa deuxième journée de grève nationale, en moins d'une semaine. A l'appel des deux principaux syndicats du pays, les employés du secteur public et des transports ont cessé le travail pour protester contre le plan d'austérité. A Athènes, 10.000 manifestants défilent dans les rues, selon les chiffres de la police, aux cris de «pas de sacrifice pour la ploutocratie».

Les transports sont paralysés, le trafic aérien nul et les hôpitaux publics sont gérés par le personnel d'urgence. >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Jeudi 11 Mars 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Greek rioters clash with police as 10,000 protesters take to the streets: Protesters clashed with riot police as more than 10,000 people marched through central Athens during a nationwide general strike against the government's harsh new austerity measures. >>> | Thursday, March 11, 2010

TELEGRAPH VIDEO: Violence flares as general strike hits Greece >>> | Thursday, 11. March 2010

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Several articles and videos pertaining to the crisis in Greece >>>

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De nombreux articles relatifs à la crise financière grecque >>>

Verbunden mit diesen Artikeln:

Mehrere Artikel über die Finanzkrise in Griechenland >>>

Iran Steps Up Security Before Islamic Revolution Rally
THE GUARDIAN: Tehran sentences another activist to death and several others are arrested ahead of national day demonstrations

Large numbers of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have been deployed across Tehran, claim opposition sources, before tomorrow's anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Photo: The Guardian
Iranian security forces are deploying in strength in Tehran and across the country to head off what opposition supporters hope will be massive protests to mark tomorrow's anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

New arrests were announced today after another death sentence was handed down for a convicted "rioter" and large numbers of Revolutionary Guards and Basij militia arrived in the capital from outlying areas, opposition sources reported.

Official preparations to deal with the latest bout of internal unrest coincide with mounting international tensions after Barack Obama accused Iran on Tuesday of trying to build a nuclear weapon and warned it would face new sanctions within weeks.
The regime has repeatedly accused opposition supporters of serving foreign interests. >>> Ian Black, Middle East editor | Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Thousands of Russians March in Protest over Vladimir Putin and the Economy
THE TELEGRAPH: Thousands of Russians have marched in protests demanding the resignation of the prime minister, Vladimir Putin, for his handling of the country's flailing economy.

The biggest display of public disaffection with Russia's normally popular prime minister prompted a violent response in Moscow, the capital.

Pro Kremlin youths brutally beat some protestors, while others were detained, including Eduard Limonov, a prominent Kremlin critic and leader of the outlawed National Bolshevik Party.

But the largest turnout was in Vladivostok, the focal point of anti-government protests over the past six weeks.

A protest march led by Communist party officials and civil rights leaders was allowed to go ahead at the last minute in an apparent change of heart by the Kremlin. A rally last month was violently dispersed by riot police, and over 200 people were detained.

The march was sanctioned on the condition that demonstrators kept off the road, carried no banners and chanted no slogans.

The marchers blithely ignored the restrictions. Marching down the city's main street, they chanted "Putin resign!". Some banners compared even compared [sic] the prime minister to Hitler. >>> By Adrian Blomfield in Vladivostok | Saturday, January 31, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardcover – USA)