Mubarak's Hired Thugs - Rural Poor Paid to Attack Opposition Supporters
In exchange for the equivalent of a few euros, poor seasonal workers have taken part in street fighting in Cairo on the side of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The thugs, who fight with iron bars, knives and clubs, have been recruited by privileged members of the regime, including party officials, security forces and rich business people with lucrative state contracts. The bloody clashes in Cairo show that not all of Egypt's 80 million people want to see President Hosni Mubarak overthrown or a new start heralded by fresh elections. Many are fiercely loyal to the ruling system and are ready to fight for it -- with brutality. On Thursday afternoon, there were even reports on the Al Jazeera news channel that Mubarak supporters were storming the hotels of Cairo and hunting down journalists.
The Independent: Robert Fisk: Blood and fear in Cairo's streets as Mubarak's men crack down on protests
WSWS: Heroic resistance in Cairo to state-orchestrated repression
Der Spiegel: Mubarak's Effort to Discredit the Protest Movement -- It is now clear that the faltering president will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He is even willing to take the risk that the mob will go on a rampage and plunder Cairo in the coming days. There are few recipes for peaceful resistance against a president who is willing to be this ruthless to secure his position of power, even for such a short time.