I am not sure if that old paradigm of political protest, with a set of concrete demands to be fought for at the ballot box every two years, works any more. It is not just this burgeoning movement from the left --– if it is even as simple as that to characterise –-- but the emergence of the Tea Party as well that is leading to a possible seismic shift in the way politics is conducted in the United States.
2020 GMT: We close this liveblog with video from a very large protest in Qamishli, Syria, where a leading Kurdish activist and opposition spokesman was killed earlier today. Combined with the beating of a former member of parliament, turned activist, the Syrian opposition is more active tonight than they have been, arguably, since Ramadan.
In Bahrain, the opposition is also energized by a new martyr, as police broke up a funeral procession for 16 year old Ahmed Jabber al Qattan, and raids are continuing into the night.
In both locations, these new actions by the regimes are likely to have a far-reaching ripple effect on the opposition movements, and they are already becoming fresh symbols for Arab Spring, both inside Bahrain and Syria, and beyond.
1953 GMT: According to multiple sources, the Bahraini opposition did not go "quietly into that good night" after the funeral for 16 year old Ahmed Jabber al Qattan was broken up by police. Protests, and police raids, have lasted well into the night.
An activist Tweets this video, and according to the voice on the recording, this is the scene in Sitra tonight. Gunfire (or flash grenades, or perhaps tear gas) can be hear, and police vehicles can be seen moving into the vehicle, while protesters honk out a warning to the rhythm of "down down Hamad."
1940 GMT: And now we've finally started to see the first videos from some of the very large protests reported this evening in memory of Meshaal Tammo. This video was taken in Amouda, where thousands reportedly took to the streets when news of the assassination broke:
We cannot let the bogeyman of al-Qaida and extremism be used to stall historic change in our country. President Saleh invokes this threat in an attempt to cling to power, as if he is the only one capable of bringing stability and tackling terrorism. It would be foolish to believe his lies. .
Let us be clear: the Yemeni revolution has already brought internal stability to a state riddled with war and conflict. I call on the global community to support the peaceful revolution as it did in Tunisia and Egypt. I call on the United States and the European Union to tell Saleh that he must leave now, in response to the demands of his people. They should end all support for his regime, especially that which is used to crush peaceful opposition – tear gas canisters have "Made in America" on them. They should freeze the Saleh family's assets and those of Saleh's henchmen and return them to the people.
If the US and Europe genuinely support the people, as they say, they must not betray our peaceful revolution. It is the expression of the democratic will of the overwhelming majority of the people of Yemen.
Zainab Omran was one of 45 women detained at City Center Mall on 23 September as marchers tried to reach Pearl Roundabout, the symbolic centre of the protests against the Bahraini regime. This is the first part of her story:
We went out on Friday, Sept. 23. We did not know, "Where do we go?" We wanted to join any march to have a voice in the event.
One of my sisters suggested that we approach the City Centre becuase the route was still open and we arrived there at 2:30 pm.
We went up having only our phones in our hands and we sat waiting. Glimpsing the faces of many protesters, we exchanged smiles and greetings from a distance.
1930 GMT: Bank Fraud Watch. Is this an easing of the political situation over the $2.6 billion bank fraud? Minister of Intelligence Heydar Moslehi has said that there is no evidence linking the "deviant current" --- the label for the advisors around President Ahmadinejad --- to the embezzlement.
1900 GMT: All the President's Men (Nip-and-Tuck Edition). I'm not sure if this is news, but it is definitely testimony to the sniping inside the Iranian establishment.
Fars claims that the President's right-hand man, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai, undergoing treatment for cornea dryness, has also had cosmetic surgery to lift his eyelids.
This video was posted in February 2010, but it seems especially relevant now: "The best way to make a movement, if you really care, is to courageously follow and show others how to [do so]. When you see a lone nut doing something great, have the guts to stand up and join in."
2107 GMT: A source in Bahrain forwards us several pictures, reportedly showing a security crackdown in several villages this evening.
According to the report, this is the scene in Daih:
The village of Saar:
2055 GMT: A source forwards us this Facebook Page which shows the body of Ahmed Jabber al-Qattan (may be disturbing to some viewers), a 16 year old boy reportedly killed today by the Bahraini police (see updates below).
One thing to note, if the pictures can be validated, the evidence that birdshot was used is obvious.
1950 GMT: Deviant Current Watch. Ayatollah Jannati, the head of the Guardian Council, has told a seminary in Qom that clerics must oppose the "current" that wants to deviate elections from the concept set by the Supreme Leader.
After reading many articles over the last year on the debt problems in the US and elsewhere, the main lesson I have learnt is that the urgency of the situation in Europe, and its possible effects in America, have been consistently underestimated and downplayed.
And when that meltdown happens, though with less impact in the US than Europe, a movement thatThe New York Times reported, "Attracts Many New to This Sort of Thing", is not going to just fade away.
Which raises the inevitable question, "Where and how far can this movement go?" The frank answer is that no one, whatever they may claim, actually knows. Experts on movement theory will tell you what the Occupy protests need to do to sustain themselves long-term, but the intriguing aspect to this latest populist uprising is that is has no central hierarchy or demands to be picked apart and ridiculed by opponents. It is nothing more and nothing less than inchoate anger ---because how many people actually understand how broken it is? --- at a financial system that has brought the economy to its knees, And how can you propose credible reforms when you don't even know how severe the next problem is yet?
What is happening with the UN is a fundamental debate about the usefulness of this organisation. The original concept of unified global action to avert and respond to crises is threatened if nations with veto power consistently find themselves at opposite poles of debates. Many in the "West" are asking a simple question: if the UN was founded as a response to war and genocide in Europe and in Asia, what good is such an organisation if it does not confront mass murder of civilians in Syria?
More countries are asking this question. The answer may threaten the existence and nature of the UN itself.
Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 6:50
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