The increasingly large (and violent) protests in Egypt are being tracked by several Covert Contact monitors – Egypt, Egypt Widescreen, Muslim Brotherhood, Riots, and the Mohammed Morsi monitor are all picking up on the activity. However, there’s a lot of unexpected action in the Black Bloc Monitor thanks to their growing presence in the protests:
An unpredictable new element has entered Egypt’s wave of political unrest: a mysterious group of masked young men called the Black Bloc who present themselves as the defenders of protesters opposed to the Islamist president’s rule.
They boast that they’re willing to use force to fight back against Islamists who have attacked protesters in the past — or against police who crack down on demonstrations. The youths with faces hidden under black masks have appeared among stone-throwing protesters in clashes with police around Egypt the past five days in the wave of political violence that has shaken the country.
During protests in Cairo on Monday, masked youths celebrated around a police armored vehicle in flames in the middle of Tahrir Square, waving their hands in V-for-victory signs.
The Black Bloc Monitor can be found in the “Movements” section of subscriber’s main menu.
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