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| Africa North |
| Libya protestors force out Ministry militiamen |
| 2013-05-12 |
| [Libya Herald] Militiamen who have been besieging the Foreign Ministry this evening fled when hundreds of pro-democracy supporters arrived at the building to demonstrate their support for the government. Around 200 demonstrators had marched from Algeria Square along the Corniche to the Ministry but were quickly joined by others along the way, overwhelming the couple of dozen or so bully boyz who were still mounting their siege outside the Ministry buildings. Some of these retreated further along the Corniche. Around six or seven others rushed behind the walls of the Ministry annexe across the road from the main building and from there tried to berate the protestors. When these ripped down the militiamen's signs, one of the latter tried to hit out at protestors from the top of the wall with a long stick. The result was that dozens of demonstrators started banging on the gate to try and get in and then rushed round to the side entrance, hoping to grab the man. There then followed some quick negotiations at the gate between the two sides in which the militiamen, claiming to be from Benghazi and there to guard the ministry, said that they would deal with the man. They then retired to a corner of the compound and took no further part in proceedings. Earlier in Algeria Square, around 400 anti-militia protesters brought traffic to a halt. Placards read: "With our blood we will defence the legitimacy of the government", "No to bringing down the government with arms" and "Get rid of the guns in your hands and start building Libya". "I don't like Zeidan", said a protestor, "but he was appointed by a democratically-elected Congresss. "We must support him". Others agreed. "I don't want him removed this way", said one of them. "It must be Congress that decides." The crowd roared anti-militia chants interspersed with takbeers ("Allahu Akbar") and occasional barbs at Qatar. "We don't want to be ruled by Mozah and Hamid," they shouted -- a reference to the Emir of Qatar, Hamid bin Khalifa Al-Thani and his wife, Sheikha Mozah, who was brought up in Libya. Qatar is accused by many of interfering in Libya by funding Salafists ...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them... and other Islamists. Placards also called on Qatar to stop interfering. |
| Posted by:Fred |