Les Miserables

The scene in Libration Square real time yesterday reminded me sadly of the battle scene in Les Miserable, t this time on a world stage, the revolutionaries behind makeshift barricades, outmanned, outgunned, and outraged. The feeling of the Battle of the Bulge, surrounded, no food, no drink, and no hope but staring at the enemy and saying “Nuts!”

Clashes Erupt in Cairo Between Mubarak's Allies and Foes
Anthony Shadid, David D. Kirkpatrick and Kareem Fahim, The New York Times News Service: "President Obama's calls for a rapid transition to a new order in Egypt seemed eclipsed on Wednesday as a choreographed surge of thousands of people chanting support for the Egyptian leader, Hosni Mubarak, fought running battles with a larger number of antigovernment protesters in and around Cairo's Tahrir Square. Both sides exchanges volleys of Molotov cocktails and rocks, while the military restricted itself mostly to guarding the Egyptian Museum and using water cannons to extinguish the flames."

Watch Live: Revolution in Egypt
Watch Al Jazeera English's coverage, live on the scene in Egypt

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These are HEROES

Egypt army moves to stop assault on protesters

Maggie Michael, Associated Press – CAIRO – Egyptian army tanks and soldiers cleared away pro-government rioters and deployed between them and protesters seeking the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, as the prime minister made an unprecedented apology Thursday for the assault by regime backers that turned central Cairo into a battle zone.
The military began to move with muscle for the first time to stop the fighting early Thursday after a barrage of automatic gunfire hit the anti-government camp before dawn, killing at least three protesters in a serious escalation.
A sense of victory ran through the protesters, even as they organized their ranks in the streets in case of a new assault. "Thank God, we managed to protect the whole area," said Abdul-Rahman, a taxi driver who spent the night in the square. "We prevented the pro-Mubarak people from storming the streets leading to the square."




Clearly there is a difference between “backers” and hired guns. If the media is not sure, they should use words that do not appear to show Mubarak has public support.

Mubarak backers attack foes with firebombs, bricks

CAIRO – Thousands of supporters and opponents of President Hosni Mubarak battled in Cairo's main square Wednesday, raining stones, bottles and firebombs on each other in scenes of uncontrolled violence as soldiers stood by without intervening. Government backers galloped in on horses and camels, only to be dragged to the ground and beaten bloody.

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