You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Africa North
Egyptians angry at film scale U.S. embassy walls
2012-09-12
This happened mid-day yesterday and so may be old news, but I'm posting a truncated version of the story for those of you who missed it.
CAIRO - Egyptian protesters scaled the walls of the U.S. embassy on Tuesday, tore down the American flag and burned it during a protest over what they said was a film being produced in the United States that insulted Prophet Mohammad.

In place of the U.S. flag, the protesters tried to raise a black flag with the words "There is no God but God, and Mohammad is his messenger", a Reuters witness said.

Once the U.S. flag was hauled down, some protesters tore it up and showed off pieces to television cameras. Others burned the remains outside the fortress-like embassy building in central Cairo. But some protesters objected to the flag burning.

Many Muslims consider any depiction of the Prophet to be offensive.
Strangely, the great, great majority of Christians manage not to riot when some lamebrain creates a painting of a crucifix in a jug of urine...
"This movie must be banned immediately and an apology should be made," said 19-year-old Ismail Mahmoud, a member of the so-called "ultras" soccer supporters who played a big role in the uprising that brought down Hosni Mubarak last year.
Apology delivered by our Cairo embassy weenies. They should be condemned ... to remain in Cairo...
He called on President Mohamed Mursi, Egypt's first civilian president and an Islamist, to take action, without giving details of the film that angered him or other protesters.

About 20 people stood on top of the embassy wall, while about 2,000 protesters gathered outside. The demonstrators were mainly supporters of Islamist groups or "ultras" youths.

Washington has a big mission in Egypt, partly because of a huge aid programme that followed Egypt's signing of a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. The United States gives $1.3 billion to Egypt's military each year and offers the nation other aid.
How about giving nothing further until Mursi personally hands our ambassador a replacement flag?
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland in Washington said the wall was breached and the flag removed. "We are obviously working with Egyptian security to try to restore order at the embassy and to work with them to try to get the situation under control," she said.

Following the protest, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said it was committed to giving all embassies the necessary protection.

The U.S. embassy had put out a statement earlier on Tuesday condemning "misguided individuals" who hurt the religious feelings of Muslims or followers of other religions. "We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others," the U.S. embassy said in its statement.
Pure Obama -- we're always the ones who are wrong. His father and mentors must be proud.
I understand this is the trailer for the film in question.
Posted by:Steve White

#38  Personally I think western nations should work in concert and in this case start to abandon embassies and expel ambassadors and put nations on the state department list to make it nearly impossible for their citizens to visit.

Oh and expel their UN ambassador as well if he leaves the UN compound. Perhaps that would convince the UN to move to another country on their own.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2012-09-12 21:39  

#37  And still no statement from the Egyptian President.
Posted by: DepotGuy   2012-09-12 19:32  

#36  As I stood in front of the TV on the morning of 9/11/2001 after the first plane had flown into the first tower I thought it must have been some dumb guy in a privately owned prop plane who had an accident or maybe he was distraught over a marriage or business deal that had gone bad. It was early in the morning on the West coast and I wasn't focused in on it.

But when the second plane flew into the second tower it suddenly became crystal clear what was happening.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2012-09-12 16:00  

#35  The explanation of the media is too convenient. The film has not been released yet. These incidents were too coordinated in both Egypt and Libya and they occurred on 911. Smacks of terrorism and/or re-visiting 911 where it was easy to pull off. A rent-a-crowd was whipped up but AQ was probably behind it.
Posted by: JohnQC   2012-09-12 15:18  

#34  Gee, Paul D, maybe if the US hadn't elected a Presnident who shut down exploration in the Gulf we'd be in a slightly better position about that.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2012-09-12 12:48  

#33  No more funding to muslim countries.Let them wallow in their own misery.Call it Karma.

Without oil these countries would be just deserts.
Posted by: Paul D   2012-09-12 12:23  

#32  Carpetbomb? Just ensure all their goats and sheep are infected with HIV and the men will all die of AIDS.
Posted by: anymouse   2012-09-12 11:28  

#31   I'm with the Canadians on this one. Pull the plug and get out.

Pull out, yes. But then carpet bomb their cities. Hit back hard.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2012-09-12 11:21  

#30  Why didn't the "governments" of Egypt and Libya protect the embassies, AS THEY ARE REQUIRED TO?
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2012-09-12 10:48  

#29  the timing indicates planning rather than a spontaneous grassroots response.
Posted by trailing wife

EXACTLY! And eerily similar to 9/11....WHO was at the switch? WHO monitoring developing events and reporting/building threat assessments at the strategic and national levels? Is this a rehearsal?

Was the recently reported reluctance of the administration and the Champ to meet in the upcoming days with Netanyahu related to this attack? Was the meeting seen a potential provocation or tipping point to be avoided?

Many questions remain unanswered.
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-09-12 10:38  

#28  The lawful way would be to rewrite corporate law so that elements that claim first amendment 'free press' rights must stand financially as an independent agent...blah³

Okay, after we have some hangings, just to send a message and for a little payback.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man   2012-09-12 10:33  

#27  "Where were the Marine guards?"

I answered my own question. Looks like 2 Marines were murdered trying to get to the ambassador.

"Al-Sharef said two U.S. Marines sent to Benghazi when the clash erupted were shot and killed by the well-armed protesters. It was not immediately clear whether the Marines were part of Stevens' security detail. The American whose death was confirmed on Tuesday also died of a gunshot wound. He was identified by the State Department on Wednesday as Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith.?
Posted by: Yosemite Sam   2012-09-12 10:32  

#26  Do we have to go after the complicit editors and reporters with tar and feathers - or a rope?

The lawful way would be to rewrite corporate law so that elements that claim first amendment 'free press' rights must stand financially as an independent agent without recourse to other corporate subsidies to cover loses caused by their "product's" inability to sell. The free market will then take care of the issue.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2012-09-12 10:28  

#25  Its all over BBC that the US Ambassador to Libya has been killed as the embassy was attacked last night over a film to be released about Mo.

It is my understanding that the film was released online on 2.July, Paul. Like the anti-Danish cartoon riots, the timing indicates planning rather than a spontaneous grassroots response.
Posted by: trailing wife   2012-09-12 10:27  

#24  Some of these locations have host-nation contact guards, not Marines.
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-09-12 10:19  

#23  When will we ever get accountability by the mainstream press for this guy? Do we have to go after the complicit editors and reporters with tar and feathers - or a rope?

Yes.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man   2012-09-12 10:16  

#22  Where were the Marine guards?
Posted by: Yosemite Sam   2012-09-12 10:13  

#21  Obama is Jimmy Carter but worse!
Posted by: JohnQC   2012-09-12 09:49  

#20  Totally unconfirmed, but Fox is now reporting the dead were the victims of a convoy ambush as they were attempting to leave, or motoring away from the US Embassy, Benghazi Lybia. Perhaps civilian contract security (as opposed to host nation) such as XE should be looked into once again.

Posted by: Besoeker   2012-09-12 09:46  

#19  From CBS:

Wanis al-Sharef, a Libyan Interior Ministry official in Benghazi, said the four Americans were killed when the angry mob, which gathered to protest a U.S.-made film that ridicules Islam's Prophet Muhammad, fired guns and burned down the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

He said Stevens, 52, and other officials were moved to a second building, deemed safer, after the initial wave of protests at the consulate. According to al-Sharef, members of the Libyan security team seem to have indicated to the protesters the building to which the American officials had been relocated, and that building then came under attack.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2012-09-12 09:20  

#18  Suffocation could be the result of fire or Thermobaric RPG rounds:

TBG-7V Thermobaric round (Russian Federation), Grenades - Rocket-propelled

The TBG-7V thermobaric round with secondary fragmentation effect is fired from the RPG-7 series of shoulder-fired rocket-launchers. The TBG-7V round has been designed to defeat lightly armoured and soft-skinned vehicles, as well as for use against field fortifications and personnel in the open or in trenches. The thermobaric warhead contains a bursting charge that on impact, ignites and spreads the contents of the warhead which contains an oxygen deficient filling, which as it burns creates a rapidly forming high-pressure blast wave which neutralises the target area. The warhead is fitted with a mechanical fuze and a self-destruction mechanism. Effectiveness against personnel in enclosed structures with warhead detonation at a distance of 1 m from embrasures, windows and doorways is given as rooms with a volume of up to 300 cm³ and in trenches with the warhead detonation at a distance of 2 m from the trench parapet.The PUI-7TBG 38 mm sub-calibre practise device is available to reduce the costs of training.
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-09-12 09:05  

#17  In my edition of the hardcopy WaPo, they reported the Egyptian attack on the Embassy on page A10 and couched it in 'well this happened but everything is quiet now' language. Tomorrow they will have to report the Libyan attack. Let's see them bury that one.
Posted by: lord garth   2012-09-12 09:03  

#16  Fox reports Stevens died by suffocation.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2012-09-12 08:59  

#15  Chris Stevens Photos?
Posted by: tipper   2012-09-12 08:56  

#14  I do blame Obama and his crew for this. Their pitiful and dangerous foreign policy led directly to these people's deaths.
Posted by: DarthVader   2012-09-12 08:48  

#13  Jimmy Carter V2.0 comes complete with a feckless SOS
Posted by: Frank G   2012-09-12 08:17  

#12  We pay these countries billions but they are taught to hate us from a young age(School/home/mosque) and we wonder why it all goes wrong in the Arab Spring?
Posted by: Paul   2012-09-12 07:55  

#11  Screw these barbarians and act accordingly.
Posted by: JohnQC   2012-09-12 07:47  

#10  What have the empty chairs in the US, Egypt and Libya got to say about all this. Just curious.
Posted by: tipper   2012-09-12 07:09  

#9  Alright, so hundreds possibly thousands of these worthless foks decide to get rowdy on 9/11. What did they do, go cladestine and leave their cellies at home and coordinate everything via hand and arm signals? Who was listening, and if not... why not?
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-09-12 06:59  

#8  Its all over BBC that the US Ambassador to Libya has been killed as the embassy was attacked last night over a film to be released about Mo.
Posted by: Paul   2012-09-12 06:51  

#7  Interesting timing, no? We followed a feckless Euro lead in Libya, and backed the wrong side yet AGAIN! These foks hate us. Get out, and stay the hell out!
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-09-12 06:30  

#6  Rooters
"The American ambassador and three staff members were killed when gunmen fired rockets at them," the official in Benghazi told Rooters. Asked about the deaths, a U.S. Embassy employee in Tripoli said: "We have no information regarding this."
Posted by: Bobby   2012-09-12 05:50  

#5  I'm with the Canadians on this one. Pull the plug and get out.
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-09-12 05:48  

#4  And from what I can tell, the press sat on this to give Obumble time - which he spent making and appearance on Letterman's show.

Embassies attacked? US State Dept staffer killed? Others assaulted? Who cares, I need to be seen on Letterman.

When will we ever get accountability by the mainstream press for this guy? Do we have to go after the complicit editors and reporters with tar and feathers - or a rope?
Posted by: OldSpook   2012-09-12 05:34  

#3  When have the ultra/hooligan soccer fans been religious?

Rent a mob comes to mind.
Posted by: Paul   2012-09-12 05:04  

#2  In Benghazi Libya today the US consulate was burned to the ground and one consular official killed. RPGs and other heavy weapons were used in the attack.

We need to have predators taking out the friking mullahs.
Posted by: Water Modem   2012-09-12 01:24  

#1  Lakee springee?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2012-09-12 00:58  

00:00