John Kerry: Violence in Egypt Is 'Deplorable'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has condemned the violence in Egypt as "deplorable" – but refused to say whether America would take steps to pressure the military into halting its onslaught.

As the death toll climbed to at least 149, Mr Kerry made an unexpected appearance at a routine State Department briefing to address the spiralling crisis.

"The United States strongly condemns today's violence and bloodshed across Egypt," Mr Kerry said.

"It's a serious blow to reconciliation and the Egyptian people's hopes for a transition towards democracy and inclusion."

Mr Kerry called for restraint on all sides, but said the military and the interim government it installed in July had a "unique responsibility to prevent further violence".

The US strongly opposed a return to the government-declared state of emergency, he said, which would grant the security forces widespread powers to round up supporters of the ousted president Mohamed Morsi. » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Islamic Veil Arrest Sparks Violence in Paris Suburb

FRANCE 24: Around 200 protesters clashed with police in the Paris suburb of Trappes on Friday night following the arrest of a man who allegedly assaulted a police officer after his wife was stopped for wearing an Islamic veil in public.

A night of violence erupted in the Paris suburb of Trappes on Friday, apparently sparked by a row over France’s controversial ban on face coverings.

Reports suggest upwards of 200 people clashed with security forces outside the town’s police station from around 9pm on Friday night, with the violence continuing into the early hours of Saturday morning.

Demonstrators were seen throwing projectiles at police, while a number of bins were set on fire. Several pictures and videos purporting to show the violence have been posted on social media sites such as YouTube and Twitter.

Around a dozen vans carrying riot police were deployed to the area, while a helicopter was dispatched to carry out surveillance of the town, located around 27km west of the centre of Paris.

Order was restored at around 3am when the crowd began to disperse, a police source told Reuters. » | France 24 | Saturday, July 20, 2013

Inside Story: Egypt's Clash of Religions
Inside Story, discusses with Michael Mounir, a Coptic activist and lobbyist; Sharif Abdel Kouddous, a correspondent at Democracy Now!; and Rabab El-Mahdi, professor of political science at the American University in Cairo

Violence Continues Across Bahrain
Bahrain's largest opposition group has urged Saudi Arabia to withdraw its forces and called for a UN inquiry into the the government's on-going crackdown.
Clashes between security forces and anti goverment protesters continue, spilling into villages across the country. Our special correspondent, whom we are not naming for security reasons, filed this report

Tunisians Suffer from Continued Violence

Les attaques contre les chrétiens d'Irak continuent
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: BAGDAD | Bagdad a encore souffert de 3 morts et 26 blessés mercredi matin dans des attaques contre des domiciles de chrétiens. La branche irakienne d’Al-Qaïda avait annoncé qu'elle viserait les chrétiens.

Une série d’attentats a visé mercredi matin les domiciles de chrétiens à Bagdad faisant trois morts et 26 blessés, selon une source du ministère de l’Intérieur. Ces nouveaux attentats anti-chrétiens surviennent dix jours après l’attaque meurtrière contre une église catholique de la capitale irakienne. >>> ATS / AFP | Mercredi 10 Novembre 2010

Why Is the Violence Most Intense in Northern Iraq?
Watch LA Times video here | Thursday, August 13, 2009

Far-right Group, the English Defence League, in Disarray after Birmingham Fracas
TIMES ONLINE: A rightwing group, which has promised a summer of demonstrations against British Muslims, was in disarray today after its first significant protest ended in violence and 35 arrests.

The English Defence League staged a march near the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham this weekend but its small band of supporters was drastically outnumbered by anti-fascist campaigners and riot police. The protest ended in violent skirmishes and running battles through the city’s busy shopping streets on Saturday evening.

Members of the League resorted to bitter in-fighting today as supporters labelled the organisers “ridiculous” and the event a “shambles”.

At least three people were injured as hundreds of police, some in full riot gear, broke up fights between anti-Islamic protesters and anti-fascist groups who came to disrupt the demonstration. At one point officers were forced to seal off New Street with a steel barrier.

Emily Bridgewater, who was shopping when violence broke out, told the Birmingham Post: “It kicked off very suddenly and there was stampeding and screaming.

“We ended up being herded into Primark, where they brought the shutters down to protect us. It was very frightening.” >>> Nico Hines and Costas Pitas | Monday, August 10, 2009

China Tightens Security in Xinjiang

Police Break Up New Tehran Rally
BBC: Iranian riot police have fired tear gas to break up a new opposition rally in the centre of the capital Tehran, hours after a stern warning to protesters.

Some 1,000 people had gathered on Haft-e Tir Square despite the warning from Iran's Revolutionary Guards against holding unapproved rallies.

Reports say the police were reinforced by Basij militiamen wielding clubs.

The Guards, an elite armed force, vowed to crack down on new street protests over the presidential election results.

On Friday Ayatollah Ali Khamenei banned protests, prompting street violence in which at least 10 people died.

Severe reporting restrictions placed on the BBC and other foreign media in Iran mean protest reports cannot be verified independently. >>> | Monday, June 22, 2009

Tehran Youth: I'll Never Vote in Iran Again
YNET NEWS: Frustrated and outraged by election results they believe were rigged, Tehran's young take to streets, spread messages and videos on internet and via mobile phones calling on world to intervene

Iran's youth responded with frustration and anger to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad electoral win, which many believe was obtained by fraud. Some of them were able to voice their outrage through instant messages and video clips sent via mobile phones, or on blogs, forums, Facebook and YouTUbe before these websites were blocked by the authorities.

One of them, a young man from Tehran, told Ynet on Sunday: "I swear to God I'll never vote in Iran again. Mousavi received 25,000 million votes, but they changed the names (on the ballots)."

However he said that he was still hopeful in light of the great numbers of young Iranians who have taken to the streets in protest of the election results. Tens of thousands of people clashed with security forces in the capital of Tehran on Saturday, and at least two were reportedly killed in the violence. >>> Dudi Cohen | Sunday, June 14, 2009

YOUTUBE: Tehran – Vanak Square


YOUTUBE: Violence - Vanak Square


YOUTUBE: Clashes in Vali Asr Avenue

Nine Arrested after Masked Mob's March against Muslim Extremists Turns Violent
MAIL Online: Nine people have been arrested after hundreds of anti-Islamist protesters clashed with police yesterday.

The streets of Luton descended into violence after demonstrators, many hiding their faces behind balaclavas, brandished England flags and chanted at officers.

A group called March for England was said to have organised the rally as a peaceful protest against Muslim extremists. They were joined by a local group United People of Luton.

The mob, which included teenagers and women, held banners with slogans such as 'No Sharia Law in the UK' and 'Respect our Troops'.

Some protesters wore masks with the horned face of Sayful Islam, a hardline Muslim activist in Luton who took part in an anti-war rally in March, which disrupted a homecoming parade for troops.

But chaos broke out when a crowd of around 500 ran away from police who had been escorting the protest along its route, and ran down side streets towards the town centre.

Officers on horseback and police dogs were deployed, and policemen drew batons to defend themselves.

Groups of young men in balaclavas and England shirts chanted outside the city centre and one balacava-clad protester held a Rottweiler on a chain, while others clashed with police in riot gear.
One Asian man was hit across the face with a banner and left with a bloody nose.

The nine suspects were in custody today for offences of criminal damage, assault and public order offences, Bedfordshire Police said.

Police said during the disturbance three car windscreens were smashed and a window at a take away restaurant in Chapel Street had been broken. >>> Claire Ellicott | Monday, May 25, 2009

TIMES ONLINE: Trouble Flares as Luton Residents Protest Over Muslim Extremists

Nine people were arrested yesterday after trouble flared during a protest march against supposed Muslim extremists.

The march in Luton was said to be a protest against an earlier demonstration during the Royal Anglian Regiment’s homecoming parade when soldiers were heckled on their return from a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Yesterday there were about 500 protesters, some carrying banners with slogans such as “No Sharia Law in the UK” and “Respect our Troops”. Several cars were damaged after a small group split off from the march. An Asian-owned business had its windows smashed. In Stuart Street in the town centre, police drew batons. Mounted police and officers in riot gear were used to try to control the mob and stones were thrown. >>> Home staff | Monday, May 25, 2009

Riot Police Working Overtime as Unions and Anarchists Link Arms for May Day
Police use tear gas against protesters during an outlawed May Day rally in central Istanbul. Photo courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: Protesters turned traditional May Day demonstrations into a rallying call against global capitalism as unrest spread through city streets across Europe yesterday.

Politicians in Germany and France had been warning that the financial crisis was about to spark social unrest. In some towns the words became reality, even if the skirmishes and petrol bombings felt choreographed.

“We want social disturbances, upheaval, and we will do everything towards that end,” said Markus Bernhardt, a spokesman for Class Struggle Bloc, which helped to steer the riots. “The system is violent and now violence is being met by violence.”

Unions estimated that 484,000 people took part in 400 protests across Germany. Riots in Berlin began on Thursday night when cars and rubbish containers were set alight. On May Day morning 700 anarchists blocked a railway station in an attempt to sabotage a neo-Nazi march.

A force of 5,000 German police officers found it difficult to contain the rioting. Officials said 48 officers were hurt and 57 people detained. “One can only advise drivers not to park their cars on the street,” Dieter Glietsch, the head of the Berlin police, said. >>> Roger Boyes in Berlin and Charles Bremner in Paris | Saturday, May 2, 2009

Scènes de violence à Bangkok
leJDD.fr: La situation s'est encore un peu plus tendue ce lundi à Bangkok, capitale de la Thaïlande. Pour avoir bravé l'état d'urgence décrété la veille, les manifestants anti-gouvernementaux ont été chargés par les forces de l'ordre. Près de 80 personnes ont été blessées, dont quatre par balles. Le Premier ministre du pays, Abhisit Vejjajiva, a démenti toute rumeur de coup d'Etat.

"Nous ne partirons pas. Nous voulons une vraie démocratie." A Bangkok, 20 000 "chemises rouges" bravent les interdits. Malgré le couvre-feu instauré la veille par le gouvernement de coalition, en place depuis le mois de décembre dernier à l'issue, déjà, d'une séquence insurrectionnelle dans le pays, les manifestants thaïlandais sont bien décidés à poursuivre leur occupation du pavé. Quitte à se heurter aux forces de l'ordre, comme ce fut le cas ce lundi. En fin de matinée, le bilan de cette charge, dressé par le directeur du centre médical de la ville, faisait état d'au moins 77 blessés, dont 19 pris en charge par les hôpitaux. Plus inquiétant, quatre personnes auraient été touchées par des balles - deux civils et deux militaires - donnant une idée de l'extrême tension qui règne toujours dans la capitale thaïlandaise. >>> Par N.M (avec Reuters), leJDD.fr | Lundi 13 Avril 2009

leJDD.fr:
Bangkok en état d'urgence >>> Par Marie-Lys LUBRANO (avec Reuters), leJDD.fr | Dimanche 12 Avril 2009

A Athènes, pas un jour sans son attentat
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: CONTESTATION | Banques, commerces ou voitures de luxe sont devenus les cibles quasi quotidiennes d’une violence attribuée par l’Etat à la mouvance anarchiste. Derrière ce phénomène se cache autre chose: l’effondrement de la classe moyenne.

Voitures incendiées samedi dernier chez un concessionnaire Jaguar à Athènes. En Grèce, la multiplicité des actions de groupuscules anarchistes se couple à la montée de la petite criminalité. Photo grâce à la TDG
Cinq banques, une succursale de la Poste, une voiture diplomatique, une autre appartenant à une société de gardiennage et trois autos particulières. Parties en flammes, incendiées dans la nuit de lundi à mardi, au centre-ville et dans la grande banlieue d’Athènes.
Mais que se passe-t-il en Grèce, où une grève générale de vingt-quatre heures – convoquée aujourd’hui par les syndicats pour protester contre la vie chère – pourrait s’accompagner de nouvelles violences?

Depuis les émeutes qui ont ravagé le centre d’Athènes, au mois de décembre, suite à la mort d’un lycéen de 15 ans abattu par un policier, la violence s’installe dans cette mégapole de près de 5 millions d’habitants. Sans épargner d’autres grands centres urbains, comme Salonique en particulier. Pour l’instant, les dégâts sont matériels. Mais les Grecs, pourtant habitués aux actions de groupuscules anarchistes, s’interrogent. La multiplicité des attaques se couple à la montée de la petite criminalité. Elle s’ajoute à la montée en puissance de gangs mafieux, qui n’hésitent plus à descendre des patrons de club ou des partenaires en «affaire». >>> Nicolas Verdan | Jeudi 02 Avril 2009

G20 Protests: Rioters Loot RBS as Demonstrations Turn Violent
THE TELEGRAPH: G20 summit protesters looted a City office of Royal Bank of Scotland this afternoon, as a largely peaceful demonstration spilled over into bloody violence in the centre of London.

G20 violence. RBS windows smashed.
A small number of demonstrators forced their way into the building on Threadneedle Street near the Bank of England after smashing windows and throwing smoke grenades.

Hundreds of protesters cheered as office equipment including a printer was carried out of the building – which is believed to have been empty – before riot police wielding batons managed to force the crowds back.

The rampage inside RBS will raise questions about the effectiveness of the £7.2 million security operation. The bailed-out bank was known to be a target of anti-capitalist groups in advance of the protests, but police efforts had concentrated on defending its headquarters on Bishopsgate in Liverpool Street, around half a mile away.

Twenty-three people were arrested as protesters clashed with police around the Bank of England, which was the focus of today's anti-capitalist and anarchist demonstrations. >>> | Wednesday, April 1, 2009

TELEGRAPH picture gallery: G20: Protests turn violent >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>

Fresh Clashes Hit Greek Capital
BBC: Greek students have attacked police in the capital, Athens, in the latest outbreak of protests over the killing of a teenaged boy last Saturday.

The authorities say at least one person was injured as protesters threw stones and firebombs at a police station, near the city's main university.

Students are also reported to have set up road blocks in some parts of Athens.

A policeman has been charged over the youth's death. His lawyer says the bullet that killed him was a ricochet.

But the ballistics report has not yet been officially published.

An unnamed police official said that an elderly bystander had been taken to hospital after being struck by a rock in the latest violence.

A further incident was reported outside a university and one of Greece's biggest prisons in the Athens suburb of Koyrdallos.

There were also reports of unrest in Thessaloniki, Greece's second city.

Hundreds of buildings and businesses across the country have been damaged in the five days of rioting. >>> | December 11, 2008

Watch BBC video: Police defend themselves from attack >>>

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback & Hardback) – Free delivery >>>

Violence in South Africa Spreads to Cape Town
Watch BBC video: The makeshift camps where displaced foreigners seek shelter
BBC: Violence against foreigners in South Africa spread to Cape Town overnight with people assaulted and shops looted.

"Groups within the crowd started to loot shops owned by Zimbabweans and other foreigners," police spokesman Billy Jones told AFP news agency.

He said hundreds of African migrants had fled Cape Town's Dunoon squatter camp and 12 arrests had been made.

Officials are to meet to discuss how the wave of violence has hit South Africa's crucial mining industry.

More than 40 people have died and some 15,000 people have sought shelter since the violence initially flared up in the Johannesburg township of Alexandra almost two weeks ago. SA Violence Spreads to Cape Town >>> | May 23, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

U.S. Worried Anti-Muslim Film Could Trigger Violence Abroad
ABC NEWS: The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI Wednesday circulated a report on the expected release of a 10-minute anti-Islam film by Dutch far-right Party for Freedom Founder and Chairman Geert Wilders, which is expected to spark global protests and raises the possibility of violence in Europe.

The DHS/FBI report was published in anticipation of a Friday release of the film; however, Wilders himself told a Dutch newspaper yesterday that he needs at least two more weeks to finish the film. So far, no one has seen even as single pre-release frame of the film.

The DHS/FBI report follows weeks of speculation on the reactions to the film that continues to gain momentum in overseas media and online outlets. The DHS/FBI report states clearly in its headline and key findings section that "the film is unlikely to incite violence in the United States but may provoke protests overseas."

The film, however, reportedly will show a Quran being destroyed, which the report states is "tantamount to heresy" in Islam. In the past, Wilders has stated that the Quran should be banned like Adolph Hitler's "Mein Kampf."

A spokesperson for Wilder's political party said he would not be available for comment, and they would neither confirm nor deny whether the Quran will be depicted as destroyed in the film. U.S. Worried Anti-Muslim Film Could Trigger Violence Abroad >>> By Richard Esposito and Christine Brouwer

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Dutch Government Fears Violence over Geert Wilders’ Film
Photo of Geert Wilders courtesy of Google Images
THE GUARDIAN: The Dutch government is bracing itself for violent protests following the scheduled broadcast this week of a provocative anti-Muslim film by a radical right-wing politician who has threatened to broadcast images of the Koran being torn up and otherwise desecrated.

Cabinet ministers and officials, fearing a repetition of the crisis sparked by the publication of cartoons of Muhammad in a Danish newspaper two years ago, have held a series of crisis meetings and ordered counter-terrorist services to draw up security plans. Dutch nationals overseas have been asked to register with their embassies and local mayors in the Netherlands have been put on standby.

Geert Wilders, one of nine members of the extremist VVD (Freedom) party in the 150-seat Dutch lower house, has promised that his film will be broadcast - on television or on the internet - whatever the pressure may be. It will, he claims, reveal the Koran as 'source of inspiration for intolerance, murder and terror'.

Dutch diplomats are already trying to pre-empt international reaction. 'It is difficult to anticipate the content of the film, but freedom of expression doesn't mean the right to offend,' said Maxime Verhagen, the Foreign Minister, who was in Madrid to attend the Alliance of Civilisations, an international forum aimed at reducing tensions between the Islamic world and the West. In Amsterdam, Rotterdam and other towns with large Muslim populations, imams say they have needed to 'calm down' growing anger in their communities.

Government officials hope that no mainstream media organisation will agree to show the film, although one publicly funded channel, Nova, initially agreed before pulling out. 'A broadcast on a public channel could imply that the government supported the project,' said an Interior Ministry spokesman. Violence fear over Islam film: Counter-terrorism alert as a Dutch right-winger launches a movie that will denounce the Koran >>> By Jason Burke, Europe editor

AFP:
Unease in the Netherlands over MP’s planned anti-Islam film

Geert Wilders:
Geert Wilders’ official website (in Dutch)

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)