[Onthebarricades] Global pro-democracy protests

[Andy]

Protests against undemocratic regimes and over issues of human rights, civil 
rights and corruption.  (I wasn't quite sure what to do with the rather 
bizarre movement in Italy...)



*  BELARUS:  Arrests at court solidarity protest

*  INGUSHETIA:  Protesters accuse state of abductions, clash with police

*  EGYPT:  Bedouin stage wave of angry protests against police harassment

*  BURMA/MYANMAR:  Monks trash shop in anti-regime protest

*  ASSAM/INDIA:  Death of suspect's mother prompts protests

*  US:  San Jose protest against tasers

*  ITALY:  "Irreverent" anti-politician movement shakes elite

*  KENYA:  Muslims protest deportations of "terror suspects"

*  NIGERIA:  Traders protest against police, army harassment

*  UK:  Protesters demand action on Darfur

*  PAKISTAN:  Teachers stage protest against abuses

*  GERMANY:  Attack on civil liberties protested

*  EGYPT:  Journalists strike to protest abuses


http://www.charter97.org/eng/news/2007/09/04/omon

Seizure by riot policemen near the court (Photo)
17:12, 04/09/2007

Today court trials over Young Front activists are taking place in Salihorsk 
and Nyasvizh. Dozens of people have gathered to express support to the young 
activists. However, buildings of the court were cordoned off by riot police. 
And riot policemen detained people.

Administrative violation reports against opposition activists of full age 
detained near the building of Salihorsk regional court have been drawn up. 
They are charged with violation of the article 23.34 Part 1 of the 
Administrative Code of Belarus (Violation of the order of organizing or 
holding mass events or picketing), a detained Franak Vyachorka said. Ales 
Kalita, Zmitser Fedaruk and some other persons are staying in the local 
police department. Trials over the detainees could take place on September 4 
or 5, Franak Vyachorka supposed.

Part 1 of Article 23.34 of the Administrative Code reads: "Violation of the 
established order of a meeting, street rally, demonstration, picket or other 
mass event holding leads to an official warning, or a fine up to 30 basic 
units, or an administrative arrest".

As we have informed, 15 young activists were detained on September 4 near 
the building of Salihorsk regional court where the trial over Ivan Shyla is 
taking place today. Ivan Shyla is charged with activities on behalf of an 
unregistered organization (the Young Front).

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/09/20/014.html

Thursday, September 20, 2007. Issue 3747. Page 3.
Protesters, Police Clash at Ingush Protest Rally
The Associated Press
NAZRAN, Ingushetia -- Hundreds of people scuffled with police and threw 
stones at a rally Wednesday in Ingushetia's main city, Nazran, to protest 
increasing abductions.
Some 500 people rallied in a central square and blocked a main road to 
protest the spike in kidnappings, which they blamed on federal and regional 
military, law enforcement and security forces.

http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/14468

September 20, 2007, 22:24
"In charge of situation" say Ingush authorities as violence subsides
At least two soldiers have been killed and four wounded in separate 
incidents in the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia. A car and an army 
truck came under fire in different locations within an hour of each other.
At least 13 people have died as attacks on law enforcement officers, army 
personnel and civilians increase in the region.

More than a dozen incidents have been reported in the last few weeks alone.

Meanwhile, two Ingush men that were abducted in the Chechen republic on 
Wednesday have been released. They are now home and safe.

The father of one of the abducted men thanked those involved in the release.

"We have relatives and friends in Moscow and in the Chechen republic who 
helped us, we also recieved support from many decent police and security 
officers who took part in the search," he said.

"I'd like to also thank the media for their help," the man continued: "They 
called me at one in the morning, gave the phone to my son, he said they were 
alive and well and asked to pick them up from the town of Shatoy in the 
Chechen republic."

They were kidnapped on Wednesday while on their way home from the city of 
Grozny. Unidentified men in military clothing are said to have stopped their 
taxi and beaten the driver.

The incident immediately sparked a protest in the city of Nazran in 
Ingushetia where some two hundred people blocked a road and the only railway 
in the city.

They blamed the Ingushetia authorities for the kidnapping.

The region's Interior Minister arrived at the rally but was attacked by the 
protestors and had to flee. Police tried to disperse the crowd, which 
responded by throwing rocks. Several people were injured on the both sides. 
Police even fired gunshots into the air to disperse the crowd but it 
continued to grow until the news came that the abducted men had been 
released.

The President of the Republic Murat Zyazikov denied any allegations that 
Ingush authorities were involved in the incident.

"I was going to fly back home last night, but towards night everything 
returned to normal. They were found somewhere in the Shali district of the 
Chechen republic. It is an unclear and intricate story. Moreover, those who 
were saying the brothers had disappeared didn't apply in writing to the 
prosecution office or anywhere," Mr Zyazikov noted.

The security situation in Ingushetia has been deteriorating over the last 
two months following the murder of an ethnic Russian woman and her children.
Later a bomb exploded at their funeral injuring some ten people. The new 
incident adds to the local government's problems, but it says it is in 
charge of the situation.
Meanwhile, human rights groups say the situation in Ingushetia is getting 
out of control. Even the president of the Chechen republic Kadyrov offered 
help, but Moscow besides sending additional troops has so far kept silent, 
and Mr Zyazikov made it clear, his republic can solve its problems on its 
own.

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL07749387.html

Sinai Bedouin protest against Egyptian government
Fri 7 Sep 2007, 16:56 GMT

EL ARISH, Egypt, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Bedouin protested peacefully 
in Egypt's Sinai on Friday, complaining of poor living conditions and 
violence against them by Egyptian authorities, security sources said.
The Bedouin gathered in the Al-Masoura region near Rafah, in Wadi Amr in 
central Sinai, and near Sharm el-Sheikh, demanding an end to arbitrary 
arrests and demolition of homes, the sources said. They threatened to expand 
the protest if their demands were not met.
Bedouin leaders said police had killed a 20-year-old Bedouin man, Ali 
Abdelbasit Salama, on Wednesday as he tried to cross into Israel. They also 
said police had detained a Bedouin activist, Massoud Abou Fager, at a 
checkpoint in the town of Kantara Sharq on Thursday night.
Earlier this week Bedouins blocked the road north from the Red Sea resort of 
Sharm el-Sheikh with burning tyres in protest at the demolition of 20 
houses.
Police had said the houses were built without licences.
Relations between the police and the Bedouin have been poor since at least 
2004, when the police detained thousands of local people for possible links 
to a group which bombed tourist resorts.
Thousands of Egyptian riot police clashed with Bedouin protesting against 
the government in July and witnesses said several civilians were shot and 
wounded.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7032926.stm

Last Updated: Sunday, 7 October 2007, 19:27 GMT 20:27 UK

Egypt Bedouins in angry protest

Relations between the Bedouins and police were already tense
Crowds of angry Bedouins have rampaged through the streets of an Egyptian 
town in protest at what they say is the failure of police to protect them.
Thousands were said to have taken part in the protest on Sunday in the 
northern Sinai town of el-Arish.
The Bedouins accused the police of failing to act after they were attacked 
by a rival tribe on Saturday.
Northern Sinai has become increasingly tense in recent years as ties between 
inhabitants and police deteriorate.
Sinai bombings
Crowds of Bedouins destroyed the offices of the ruling party, burning down 
furniture and pulling down pictures of President Hosni Mubarak.
Police used tear gas to break up stone-throwing protesters and a number of 
arrests were reported.
A number of Bedouins needed medical treatment.
Witnesses said the dispute began after a fight between two men from the 
el-Fawakhria and el-Tarrabeen tribes.
Hundreds of el-Tarrabeen members then came into town on Saturday in trucks, 
opening fire on an el-Fawakhria neighbourhood and wounding five people.
El-Fawakhria tribesmen took to the streets in protest on Saturday and 
repeated the demonstrations on Sunday.
The BBC's Heba Saleh in Cairo says the latest violence can only strain 
further what is already a very difficult relationship between the Bedouins 
and police.
Thousands of Bedouins were rounded up and many were tortured in the wake of 
bomb attacks by Islamic militants against tourist resorts in Sinai over the 
past two years, our correspondent says.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22378571-23109,00.html

Buddhist monks trash shop in protest
>From correspondents in Rangoon
September 07, 2007 02:59pm
Article from: Agence France-Presse

ANGRY Buddhist monks in Burma trashed an electronics shop owned by a local 
militia leader hours after releasing 20 officials held hostage in their 
monastery.
The monks in Pakokku, about 500km north of Rangoon, held the government and 
security officials hostage for several hours yesterday and torched four of 
their cars.
After releasing the officials, about a dozen monks headed into the town to 
look for local leaders of militia groups which have cracked down on rare 
protests that swept across the nation since August 19.
Burma's military rulers have broken up most of the protests by deploying 
gangs organised by the state-backed Union Solidarity and Development 
Association (USDA) and by a group called the Swannarrshin, or Masters of 
Force.
On Wednesday, uniformed soldiers fired shots in the air over about 300 
protesting monks in Pakokku and then beat the crowd, inciting widespread 
anger in the town which is a major centre of Buddhist learning in Burma.
"The monks destroyed the electronics shop owned by the township USDA 
chairman, as this man led the group beating the monks during Wednesday's 
protest," one resident said.
"Then they went to the home of a senior USDA member, but he ran away from 
them."
The monks also wrote on the wall of a school: "We don't want the 
Swannarrshin," another resident said.
The military and the Buddhist clergy are the two most important institutions 
in Burma, and the only groups which maintain networks stretching across the 
entire country.
The monks were credited with helping to rally popular support for a 
pro-democracy uprising in 1988, which was crushed by the military, when 
soldiers opened fire on protesters, killing hundreds.
In an unusually swift commentary on the situation in Pakokku, Burma's state 
media today accused the monks of trying "to create public outrage in order 
to intentionally incite a mass protest like '88 unrest".
Meanwhile, a group of detained pro-democracy supporters have ended a 
week-long hunger strike after one of them was finally granted treatment for 
a serious leg injury, activists said today.
The detainees launched a hunger strike on August 30 to demand medical 
attention for Ye Thein Naing who suffered a broken leg when authorities 
violently broke up a demonstration in Rangoon, activists said.
Authorities agreed to take Ye Thein Naing, 37, to hospital on Wednesday.
They released him last night into the care of an official with the 
Opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), according to activists.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/10/stories/2007091053771200.htm

Death of ULFA militant's mother sparks protest
Sushanta Talukdar
Guwahati: Death of mother of a hardcore militant of United Liberation Front 
of Asom (ULFA) during a raid by police at the militant's residence on 
Saturday sparked off an angry protest in lower Assam's Nalbari district on 
Sunday.
Residents of Namati village under Nalbari police station of the district, 
where this incident occurred, attempted to take out a protest march but were 
turned away by police. They alleged that surrendered ULFA cadres who were in 
the raid party had tortured the mother of the ULFA cadre and demanded action 
against the guilty.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) D.K. Pathak told The 
Hindu that the woman died of heart attack during a raid.
The ULFA in a statement alleged that the mother of one of their 
colleagues -Bhaskar Rajbongshi-was "brutally tortured to death by the 
surrendered ULFA cadres accompanying the police during the raid" and his 
wife was picked up by the raid party.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/13/stories/2007091354140700.htm
Protest rallies against death of ULFA cadre's mother
Sushanta Talukdar
Guwahati: Thousands of people took out rallies in lower Assam's Nalbari town 
and a 'Black Day' was observed in the State on Wednesday protesting the 
death of Sabitiri Rajbongshi, mother of ULFA militant Bhaskar, during a raid 
by the Assam police and the Central Reserve Police Force. The protesters 
demanded a judicial probe into the "killing" and strong punishment to the 
guilty.

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/06/10/18426599.php

[digest of several articles on taser incident]

www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_6861474

San Jose march today opposes police use of Tasers
Bay City News Service
Article Launched: 09/11/2007 08:11:34 AM PDT

SAN JOSE - San Jose community members will hold a rally and march today in 
an effort to halt the San Jose Police Department's use of Tasers, event 
organizers have announced.
The rally will kick off in front of the Santa Clara County district 
attorney's office at 70 W. Hedding St. at 5 p.m. with speeches by family 
members of victims who have been allegedly Tasered by San Jose police 
officers.
Participants will then head to the San Jose Police Department and call on 
officers to turn in their Tasers.
The event will end with a live demonstration of the effects of Taser use and 
the release of 268 balloons, representing each officer-involved, 
Taser-related death throughout the country since 2001, according to event 
organizers.
There have been five Taser-involved deaths involving San Jose police 
officers since 2004, organizers said.
Copyright © 2007 by Bay City News, Inc.

www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_6100994?nclick_check=1

Dozens gather to protest death linked to Taser
By Rodney Foo
Mercury News
Article Launched: 06/09/2007 01:38:44 AM PDT

A candlelight vigil was held Friday evening outside the Santa Clara County 
District Attorney's Office to protest the death of Steve Salinas, who was 
jolted by police Tasers during an incident at a San Jose hotel last month.
The eldest of Salinas' four children, Noreen Salinas, led a group of 36 
people in San Jose calling for prosecutors to bring charges against the San 
Jose police officers who used the stun guns on the 47-year-old truck driver. 
They also demanded the police department stop using Tasers.
The county coroner has not yet determined the exact cause of Salinas's 
death, and the district attorney's office and police declined to comment to 
news outlets Friday.
May 25, police officers responding to a disturbance at a North First Street 
motel room confronted Salinas. Police said a struggle ensued and Salinas was 
shot with Tasers. He was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel.
Since 2004, five people have died after being shocked with Tasers by San 
Jose police.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/12/america/italy.php

Irreverent protest movement unnerves Italian establishment

By Elisabetta Povoledo
Published: September 12, 2007

MILAN: The success of a grassroots anti-politics campaign spearheaded by an 
iconoclastic comedian is giving Italian politicians pause for thought.
Beppe Grillo is the man behind V-Day (the V stands for a very rude Italian 
expletive), which attracted 300,000 people on Saturday to sign a petition 
supporting a common goal: purging Italy of its corrupt political class, 
which in Grillo's view includes political parties, most government 
institutions and the media.
Some politicians dismissed Grillo's initiative as "shallow demagoguery" and 
warned of "populist tendencies."
"Mass protests aren't always right," Antonio Polito, a center-left senator, 
said Wednesday. "The history of the last century is full of mass protests 
that were wrong. When democracy was lost, it was lost thanks to mass 
protests."
Others cautioned of warning bells that should be heeded.
and try to understand," Fausto Bertinotti, the left-wing speaker of the 
lower house of Parliament said on a talk show late Tuesday night. "Grillo is 
filling a void that exists in politics with some very dubious material, but 
his criticism should be accepted."
Italians lined up in more than 200 cities and towns to sign the petition for 
Grillo's "Clean Up Parliament" proposal that, if it were brought before 
Parliament and adopted, would ban candidates convicted of crimes from 
seeking public office, limit politicians to two terms and introduce the 
direct election of legislators.
"I was really surprised. I didn't expect such a big turn out," Grillo said 
in a telephone interview Tuesday. Organizers estimated that 50,000 people 
turned out at a rally to hear the comic rail against the political class in 
Bologna on Saturday. "What happened out there was the release of a virus 
that's about to attack the political class. But in this case there's no 
vaccine."
In many ways, V-day was one more example of a growing dissatisfaction among 
Italians with the state of politics. With more than 750,000 copies sold, a 
summer best seller has been Sergio Rizzo and Gian Antonio Stella's "The 
Caste: How Italian Politicians Became Untouchable," a biting exposé of 
greed, waste and corruption.
"People feel that basic requests, like greater efficiency, widespread 
reforms, or the modernization of institutions and the economy are being 
ignored by the current class," said Roberto D'Alimonte, who teaches 
political science at the University of Florence, noting that statistics and 
polls all pointed to general dissatisfaction. "Then, too, they see the 
current crop of politicians as costly, privileged and arrogant."
Grillo's protest began through his blog, www.beppegrillo.it, now one of the 
top five most read Web sites in Italy with more than a million hits in July, 
according to Nielsen//NetRatings.
The blog has spawned hundreds of grassroots groups - called "meet ups" - 
that organized stands in cities around Italy and abroad to collect 
signatures Saturday.
"The idea of V-day was to give a voice to those who don't have a voice," 
said Grillo, who has denied plans to start his own political party. His 
supporters, he noted, are already "a political movement" and meet regularly 
to discuss issues like the economy and the environment and try to raise 
awareness on those questions.
"Because the movement starts on the Web, it starts from below," he said. 
This was, he said, a blueprint for the future. "We need new blood, new 
words."
In the long run, the V-day campaign could further weaken Prime Minister 
Romano Prodi's center-left government, which has been struggling to 
implement many of its campaign promises. In a poll published by the Milan 
daily Corriere della Sera this week, 68 percent of respondents said that 
they were not satisfied with the government during its first 16 months in 
power.
Renato Mannheimer, whose polling company Metis conducted the survey, wrote 
that the disappointment arose from the perception that the government was 
"unable to bring things to a close," citing dozens of examples of 
"unanswered promises and uncompleted projects."
After the rallies, some of Grillo's critics attacked the comic for his 
"messianic approach."
"The political class feels threatened and so it's defending itself by trying 
to delegitimize the protests," D'Alimonte said. "But there's more to it."
Grillo said: "They're calling me a guru, someone who mesmerizes crowds. But 
that just means that they didn't get what happened on the streets on 
Saturday."

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/14/africa/AF-GEN-Kenya-Protests.php

Up to 3,000 Kenyan Muslims protest handling of terror suspects

The Associated Press
Published: September 14, 2007

NAIROBI, Kenya: Up to 3,000 Kenyan Muslims protested Friday outside the 
capital's main mosque, saying their government should not send terror 
suspects to other countries for investigation.
Earlier this year, The Associated Press reported on the transfer of 
prisoners in Kenya to Ethiopia, a country human rights activists have 
accused of mistreating prisoners.
Human rights groups, lawyers and several Western diplomats told The 
Associated Press earlier this year that hundreds of prisoners from more than 
a dozen countries, including Kenya, were transferred secretly and illegally 
from Kenya and Somalia to Ethiopia. Some were captured by Ethiopian troops 
that drove a radical Islamic government out of neighboring Somalia late last 
year. Others were deported from Kenya, where many Somalis had fled the 
violence in their homeland.
Those released have said they were interrogated in Ethiopia, an ally in the 
U.S. war on terror, by U.S. security agents. The U.S. says that the 
interrogations were in the interests of national security.
Member of Parliament Bilow Kerow asked the placard-waving crowd Friday, "We 
are we detaining people here and taking them to Ethiopia or Somalia? Does 
that mean there is no law here?"
Kenya has the right to detain people accused of terrorism but that should be 
done within the framework of Kenyan law, Kerow told the crowd.
Some of the protesters had family who had disappeared.
"My brother is not a terrorist. That is one thing I am very sure of. He is 
not. If he is and they are saying he is a terrorist then where is he? Why 
are they being cowards?" said Leyla Abdullahi, who has one brother detained 
and another who disappeared after become a vocal campaigner for the first 
brother's release.
Protesters said they would vote against Kenya's current government if the 
practice was not halted. General elections are planned in December.
Many of the marchers vowed to continue to their protests next week, 
including a march to the Ethiopian Embassy on Tuesday and a picket of 
Parliament on Wednesday. Alamin Kimathi of the Muslims Human Rights Forum 
said they were also calling on the government to fire the minister 
responsible for internal security and the chief police commissioner.
"They turned Kenya into an outpost for Ethiopia and the U.S.," he said.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200709140335.html

Nigeria: Anambra Traders Protest Against Police, Army Harrassment

Vanguard (Lagos)
14 September 2007
Posted to the web 14 September 2007
Anayo Okoli
Awka
Some traders from the Building Materials Market Ogidi, Idemili North Local 
Government Area of Anambra State, yesterday protested against what they 
called "intimidation and harassment with Police and Army" by the leadership 
of the market against any trader who opposes some alleged fraudulent 
activities going on in the market.
The traders who went on protest carrying placards with anti-market 
executives slogans and chanting songs against the leadership of the market, 
appealed to Governor Peter Obi to intervene in the crisis rocking the 
market.
Among other offences the traders alleged against the market committee 
Chairman, were divide and rule, sidelining of the other members of the 
executive committee.
However, in his reaction, the Chairman Augustine Edozie accused the former 
executive who were also the market building committee, of sponsoring crisis 
because they were afraid that the new executive is going to probe them.
The Financial Secretary of the union published what he called "16-month 
Result Unaudited Revenue and Expenditure Account for the period ended 5th 
July, 2007" and distributed same in the market, which allegedly sparked off 
protest during a prayer session in the market on Monday.
In the said finanial report, the sum of N295,900 was alleged to have been 
given to EFCC for unspecified reason, N913,170 for Armed Forces Public 
Relations assistance, N2,037,800 for installation of transformer, but the 
traders were contesting the said expenses.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hO1JDIdl4hzGgOCaNHOtiHPBuczQ

Campaigners demand action on Darfur
Sep 16, 2007
Hundreds of demonstrators marched through London to call for immediate 
action to end the conflict in Darfur.
The rally was part of a Global Day for Darfur, which saw events taking place 
in more than 30 countries around the world, as campaigners called for their 
governments to step up to their responsibilities in the war-torn region.
In London, protesters marched from the Sudanese embassy near St James's Park 
to Downing Street, waving placards bearing the slogans: "Darfur: Don't Look 
Away" and "Protest Darfur".
More than two million people have been displaced since Janjaweed militias - 
allegedly backed by the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum - started 
reprisals against ethnic African rebels in Darfur.
According to the UN, up to 200,000 people have died from starvation, disease 
and killings since 2003.
The rally coincided with the second anniversary of the UN "responsibility to 
protect" agreement in which world leaders vowed to act to stop genocide and 
mass atrocities.
But two years after that declaration, campaigners say the international 
community has yet to fulfil their commitments to Darfur.
A recently agreed hybrid African Union-United Nations mission, consisting of 
about 20,000 peacekeeping troops and another 6,000 police, is expected to 
start arriving in the western region of Sudan from next month.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has signalled that the UK will provide 
"technical" assistance for the force and also support for the African 
nations that contribute manpower.
At one point Tom Porteous, director of Human Rights Watch, urged campaigners 
to don blindfolds as a reminder for people "not to look away". He said: 
"This is what people are doing, they are turning a blind eye to it. They are 
not seeing what's going on."

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C09%5C23%5Cstory_23-9-2007_pg7_43

Polytechnic students' protest continues for 7th day
LAHORE: The students of the Government Polytechnic Institute for Women on 
Saturday staged a protest on the eighth consecutive day against the 
evacuation of the Shadi Lal Building.

The students blocked the Lower Mall in front of the Civil Secretariat for an 
hour and shouted anti-government slogans. A large number of teachers and 
parents of some students also participated in the protest.

Maleha Sattar, a student of the institution, said in order to stop students 
from coming on the roads the institution's both gates had been locked on the 
principal's orders. Strong contingent of police had been deployed outside 
the institute.

A teacher of the institute, seeking anonymity, said Mozang police had 
arrested the institute's sweeper Rafiq Masih. Mozang police station house 
officer (SHO) Abid Rasheed said, "The police have not arrested anyone." 
Another teacher said the SHO had been harassing teachers. He said the SHO 
had also demanded a list of the teachers association's members. He said the 
principal had provided the SHO with the list.

United Teachers Association president Professor Muhammad Arif said, "We will 
protest till the fulfilment of our demands." He said the principal 
threatened to hand him over to the police if he would not back off. staff 
report

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/23/world/main3289375.shtml

Germans Protest Online Surveillance
Berliners Speak Out Against Proposal To Collect Info From Private Computers 
And Telecoms
Comments 9
BERLIN, Sept. 23, 2007

German riot police bock demonstrators in central Berlin on Saturday, Sept. 
22, 2007. About 8,000 protested against a "surveillance state" and planned 
laws to collect personal and private data. The banner reads "Terror by law." 
(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

(AP) Demonstrators in Berlin on Saturday protested against state 
surveillance and a new anti-terror package proposed by the interior 
minister.

The proposal includes online searches of private computers and telecom data.

In spite of the few scuffles between police and radical left groups the 
demonstration with about 8,000 protestors, was peaceful.

The demonstration started at the Berlin landmark, Brandenberg Gate and went 
through the center of Berlin. The demonstration went under the title "Stop 
the surveillance madness."

According to organizers, it was called by 50 different groups and German 
opposition parties.

"I don't think people are ready to give up their personal freedom," one 
protestor said. "The demonstration shows it."

http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-10-07-voa16.cfm

Egyptian Newspapers Strike to Protest Government Crackdown
By VOA News
07 October 2007

More than 20 independent and opposition newspapers in Egypt have suspended 
publication for a day to protest what they say is a government crackdown on 
press freedoms.
Editors and opposition party leaders called Sunday's one-day strike after 
the prosecution and jailing of seven journalists in September.
The charges ranged from misquoting Egypt's justice minister to spreading 
rumors about the health of President Hosni Mubarak and defaming his son 
Gamal.
The Bush administration said it was concerned about the prosecution of the 
Egyptian journalists.
Meanwhile, Bedouin tribesmen demanding better security from Egyptian 
authorities have attacked government buildings in the northern Sinai 
peninsula, in a protest triggered by a shooting attack by a rival clan.
At least six protesters were injured as they clashed with plainclothes 
police in the town of El-Arish Sunday.  Authorities say a mob attacked the 
town council building and destroyed the local headquarters of the ruling 
party, torching furniture and pictures of President Hosni Mubarak.
Authorities say the unrest started Saturday after truckloads of armed men 
from one Bedouin clan entered El-Arish and fired at members of another clan. 
Police say one person was killed and at least three others were wounded.
Egyptian police used tear gas to try to quell the rioting that started after 
the shooting.