2011-08-14 Protests around the world

Syria:

  • In Latakia, warships and tanks open fire killing at least 21 civilians and injuring many others in two residential districts of its city. Article describing carnage
  • Activists and the Local Co-ordination Committee (LCC) have reported this assault continuing into Sunday, with a curfew ordered on the residents. Information is sketchy and at times hard to verify because Syrian authorities have expelled most independent journalists since the five-month-old uprising against Assad began.
  • A local resident reported to Reuters news service, "I can see the silhouettes of two grey vessels. They are firing their guns and the impact is landing on al-Ramel al-Filistini and al-Shaab neighbourhoods."
  • Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets this weekend across the country in fresh protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. This video shows some of the protests.

Israel

  • The effects of Israel's recent economic "Boom" for some, seems not to be benefiting the middle and lower clases, so say the protestors that have held demonstrations all over the country in recent months.
  • Newspapers said these are some of the largest nationwide protests ever seen in Israel over social issues.
  • Over 20 thousand protestors turned up at Be’er Sheva, but so wide spread is the discontent, that many more were expected to show. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday pledged to establish a task force to examine economic reforms and hear the demands of the protesters.
  • 25,000 demonstrators arrived for a downtown protest in Haifa, that historically already had a strong workers movement.

China

  • 12,000 residents took part in a protest against possible local pollution from recent storm damage to a local factory in the north-eastern Chinese city of Dalian. Some of the protesters marched across the city chanting slogans and waving banners in what is called a "group stroll." Chinese protesters use the tactic of "Group strolls" to circumvent rules against demontrating discontent with the government.
  • The protesters successfully got their demands met when Officials ordered the plant's closure "immediately" and pledged to relocate it, state news agency Xinhua said.

Egypt

  • Egypt deploys thousands of troops and tanks in Sinai, in coordination with Israel on Friday.
  • Prosecutors briefly detained 26-year-old activist and blogger Asmaa Mahfouz on Sunday for writing "If the judiciary doesn't give us our rights, nobody should be surprised if militant groups appear and conduct a series of assassinations because there is no law and there is no judiciary," on Facebook.

Yemen

  • Reports of 20 people killed in Yemen fighting today in and around Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province.

United States

Jordan

  • King Abdullah II has responded to protester's demands by supporting proposals for constitutional reforms. Plans to enhance civil liberties and share powers by decentralizing some to parliament was announced Sunday August 14th.
  • Activists have rejected the proposals and protests continue outside of the Jordanian capital in Karak, where 4 were injured while meeting up with government loyalists.

Iran

  • Around 200 Iranian students held a demonstration outside the British embassy in Tehran on Sunday to protest the “savage” police treatment of people involved in street unrest in London last week.

Tunisia

  • Around 1,000 women’s rights supporters rallied in Tunis on Saturday on the anniversary of a key equal rights bill amid fears gender equality may suffer if political Islam rises in post-revolution Tunisia."