Global Voices Online

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:

الواضح ان ماسحى الجوخ و كلاب مبارك عرفوا ان الفيس بوك حلو و جميل و تقدر من خلاله تجمع الشباب الفاضى و مش لاقى حاجة يعملها و زى ما اتجمع 70 الف مع الاضراب يقدروا يجمعوا 70 الف ضده

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.

فجأة الاقى اعلان مدفوع الاجر على يسار موقع الفيس بوك تشجب و تندد بالشغب و العبث بالامن القومى المصرى و تدعو للاشتراك بمجموعة على الفيس بوك ضد فكرة الاضراب و ما حدث خلاله من عبث فى 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.

وصف المجموعة وفقا لما كتبوه فى الفيس بوك

من الفيس بوك خرجت دعوة اضراب 6 ابريل ومن فيس بوك ايضا يجب ان تخرج حملة ادانة لتخريب ممتلكات الناس و قطع الطرق وترويع الامنين - ان ما حدث فى المحلة حطر على الجميع وخطر على الأمن القومى المصري ويتحمل مسئوليته بشكل مباشر القوى السياسية التى سخنت الاوضاع بدون ان تكون لديها اى قدرة على السيطرة على الوضع كما يتحمل نتيجتها ايضا الأمن الذى قام بالبطش بالناس بلا هوادة فاستفز 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.