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| Arabia |
| 'Day of Rage' a damp squib |
| 2011-03-13 |
| [Arab News] It was a normal Friday yesterday across the Kingdom despite worries that the calls on Internet social sites for a "Day of Rage" might be heeded. "There was nothing of the sort," security front man of the Interior Ministry Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki told Arab News four hours after the Friday prayers. There were no demonstrations anywhere in the Kingdom, he said. People were wary after reports of the incidents that marred protests in Qatif on Thursday, leaving three people injured. But Riyadh, Jeddah and other cities were quiet for a Friday that saw pleasant weather, although there was a strong police presence. In both Riyadh and Jeddah, police helicopters were briefly in evidence. Al-Turki refuted agency reports that demonstrators had been fired at in Qatif on Thursday. "It is totally untrue. What actually happened was that the police had to fire shots in the air to control an emerging situation by a very small number of protesters who snatched a video camera being used by a policeman to document a shooting incident. This was believed to have come from the center of the small crowd," he said. Al-Turki was not certain if the protesters returned the camera. In Allegiance Square (Al-Baia), downtown Jeddah near the Foreign Affairs Ministry, which had been one of the sites specified by the "propagators of sedition" as a location for the protests, the "Day of Rage" was nowhere to be seen before and after Friday prayer. There was no intensified security presence either. Later in the day, during Arab News' tour of the city, it found the Al-Baia in Balad district closed and a sizable number of police present in nearby streets. But they all disappeared by dusk. A police officer said the square had re-opened after Maghreb prayers. Young Saudis could be seen driving their cars carrying messages of support and loyalty to King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and pictures of him. "I plastered photos of the king all over my car. It cost me SR650. I just wanted to send a message to those who called for demonstrations," said 30-year-old schoolteacher Abdullah Al-Baqami. "We love our country and our king. You will not make us alter our love for our country and our king by what you say," he wrote on his vehicle. Al-Baqami said he intended to park his car the next day in front of the school where he is teaching so that the students could read the message. The king's photo was posted in the window of a shop in Jeddah selling car accessories by Faisal Al-Marashi, a 22-year-old student at King Abdul Aziz University. "Our love for our country and our government isn't new. We inherited that from our forefathers who vowed allegiance to King Abdul Aziz," he told Arab News. Social networking site Facebook also carried postings of Saudis who were opposed to the protest plans. Their number took up more than 30 pages and they exchanged congratulations on Friday's protest turning out to be a non-event. The unprecedented rallying of the Saudis behind their king took the world by surprise, a Facebook post said. One blogger praised citizens of Jeddah for not making even the slightest move to protest. Meanwhile, ...back at the scene of the crime... towns and cities across the Eastern Province were also quiet and activity somewhat subdued as many people chose to stay home. In Qatif, where there was a small protest Thursday night, town elders urged people to stay off the streets and most appeared to heed that advice. One Qatif activist said he heard there was a protest in Hofuf some 130 km south, but Arab News could not get any independent confirmation of this. On Friday, mosques were full for noon payers. Two hours later, at around 1:30 p.m. Arab News visited the city and found streets and alleyways empty. Restaurants and gas stations were open, but there were few customers. There were not many vehicles on the streets. At least one helicopter flew overhead, though there were far fewer men in uniform. Qatif was quiet, which is generally not the case on a typical Friday afternoon. When Arab News spoke to one resident about not seeing many people on the streets, he was not surprised. "What do you expect to see on a Friday afternoon at 2? People are resting at home after saying their prayers," he said. "Everything is fine - no protests, nothing." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 Mike well said. Every nation now knows how to handle rebellion. The tea party people did it right. The media goons and politicians were our attack dogs. The Union stink is what needs controlled as well as many Universities. Breading grounds of political parasitic infection. |
| Posted by: Dale 2011-03-13 14:44 |
| #2 ...Well, consider this for a moment: the Tunisian, Egyptian, and Libyan protests all started small and quiet, then quickly grew while the leadership decided what to do next and they quickly grew out of control. The Saudis, on the other hand, offered up a whiff of grapeshot on Thursday night when the first 'Day Of Rage' demos seemed to be starting up. They have no intention of allowing themselves to be steamrollered. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2011-03-13 13:17 |
#1
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| Posted by: Dribble2716 2011-03-13 04:54 |