by Amira Al Hussaini
To circumnavigate censorship, activists in the Arab world are strongly leaning on online tools to get their messages across and expose what they describe as state brutality against civilians. Word about last week’s April 6 strike in Egypt was spread on a Facebook group, which has so far attracted more than 71,200 members. Now Egyptian blogger GEMYHOoOD (Ar) tells us about an anti-strike Facebook group, which has around 1,000 followers.
GEMYHOoOD is obviously not pleased that President Hosni Mubarak’s supporters have found their way to Facebook and says:
Ø§Ù„ÙˆØ§Ø¶Ø Ø§Ù† ماسØÙ‰ الجوخ Ùˆ كلاب مبارك عرÙوا ان الÙيس بوك Øلو Ùˆ جميل Ùˆ تقدر من خلاله تجمع الشباب الÙاضى Ùˆ مش لاقى Øاجة يعملها Ùˆ زى ما اتجمع 70 ال٠مع الاضراب يقدروا يجمعوا 70 ال٠ضده
It is obvious that hypocrites and Mubarak’s dogs have discovered that Facebook is nice and through it, you are able to bring together idle youth, who have nothing else to do, and just like 70,000 people were gathered for the strike, they can bring together 70,000 against it.
Ùجأة الاقى اعلان مدÙوع الاجر على يسار موقع الÙيس بوك تشجب Ùˆ تندد بالشغب Ùˆ العبث بالامن القومى المصرى Ùˆ تدعو للاشتراك بمجموعة على الÙيس بوك ضد Ùكرة الاضراب Ùˆ ما Øدث خلاله من عبث ÙÙ‰ أمن مصر القومى
Suddenly you find a paid advertisement on the left of the Facebook site, which condemns rioting and disturbing Egypt’s national security and calls for participating in a Facebook group against the idea of the strike and what happened during it of disturbance to Egypt’s national security.
وص٠المجموعة ÙˆÙقا لما كتبوه ÙÙ‰ الÙيس بوك
من الÙيس بوك خرجت دعوة اضراب 6 ابريل ومن Ùيس بوك ايضا يجب ان تخرج Øملة ادانة لتخريب ممتلكات الناس Ùˆ قطع الطرق وترويع الامنين – ان ما Øدث ÙÙ‰ المØلة Øطر على الجميع وخطر على الأمن القومى المصري ويتØمل مسئوليته بشكل مباشر القوى السياسية التى سخنت الاوضاع بدون ان تكون لديها اى قدرة على السيطرة على الوضع كما يتØمل نتيجتها ايضا الأمن الذى قام بالبطش بالناس بلا هوادة ÙاستÙز الجميع
The group describes itself on Facebook saying:
From Facebook the call for the April 6 strike came, and from Facebook the campaign to condemn the destruction of people’s property and terrorising peaceful people should come. What happened in Al Mahalla is a danger to everyone and to Egypt’s national security. Political powers in particular bear the responsibility for the situation getting out of hand without being able to control it. The security forces too are to blame after being brutal to people without discrimination.