Syria: Internet Users Race to Support Egyptian Protesters
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
Baladna daily homepage hacked. Egyptian protests news posted.
As protests to take down the Mubarak regime in Egypt rage on, Syrians are rushing to aid the protesters in every way they can. Damascus Bureau reported that hackers took over the website[ar] of Baladna Daily and left a message saying: “We will not allow a media blackout in regards to what's going on in Egypt. Here are some headlines about what's happening in Egypt.”
Maurice Aaek, a blogger and journalist, is dumbfounded[ar] to see state-run dailies publishing misinformation about the motives and demands of the protesters:
عددت البعث جميع مطالب الجماهير (من الاحتجاج على الأوضاع الاقتصادية إلى طرد السفير الاسرائيلي ووقف تصدير الغاز) دون المرور على المطلب الأساس الذي تنادي به الجماهير المحتشدة منذ يومين وهو رحيل الرئيس المصري حسني مبارك.
A few Syrian bloggers dedicated their blogs[ar] to distribute news about the protests, and a group of them came together to create a blog[ar] for the sole purpose of publishing the latest protests’ news around the clock. Ahmad AbulKheir posted instructions[ar] on how to access Facebook and Twitter using HTTPS and a Firefox addon called https-everywhere, after the sites were allegedly blocked in Egypt in an attempt to stop the outpour of updates.
Of course, Twitter played a main role in displaying support and relaying information and calls for action. Omar Mushaweh reported some intriguing plans in Syria:
"Syrian activists call for a protest in front of the Parliament on February 5th.
And Yassin rather poetically tweeted:
Three moments we must experience in a lifetime: Sunrise after a week of rain, the birth of a child, and witnessing the downfall of a tyrant.
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011.
4 comments
The U.S controlled regimes are falling all around the world, it is history being made i applaud and support all peoples rising against injustice and the double standards that the U.S use to enslave foreign peoples.
North Africa and the Arab world are now Obama’s Arabian Dreams (Nightmares)
It is doubtful Syria would tolerate what was seen in Egypt. History has shown that the Syrian government will commit mass murder of their own citizens to prevent dissidents from staging any kind of uprisings (1982, Hama). I’m sure the citizens there remember this massacre.