CAIRO: A lone man carrying an Egyptian flag sprints toward the frontlines, seconds after police fired a massive barrage of tear gas at protesters on Mohamed Mahmoud street, the main battlefield in the protection of Tahrir Square. He stands, flag waving, in protest at the continued violence against civilians demanding an end to military rule. He is one of the thousands of Egyptians who are risking their lives in an attempt to keep the police and military from reaching the main Cairo square, where thousands of demonstrators stand. But on Tuesday morning, the rumor mill was in full swing, with national, governmental, radio and television reporting that foriegners were to blame for the ongoing clashes in the country. On the national radio station, announcers told listeners that it was a “foreign conspiracy,” encouraging Egyptians to take foreign residents to the military for questioning. The statements came less than 48 hours after the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) told the country that the clashes in Tahrir Square were the result of “invisible hands” and attempted to link the violence to foreign intervention. Also on Tuesday morning, unconfirmed reports that an American citizen was deported to the United Arab Emirates after allegedly “instigating” violence. Another three American citizens were also reportedly detained by police and military, but Bikyamasr.com could not confirm this information as of writing. On Monday evening, the state-run propoganda machine received a new boost, after students from the American University in Cairo (AUC) were seen being arrested. A video posted on Youtube.com has been confirmed by sources to be of the international students being arrested. One foreign freelance journalist told Bikyamasr.com that “this feels a lot like the early days of the January uprising, when the government attempted to link the protests with foreigners and the xenophobia got out of hand. It is a scary situation.” On Mohamed Mahmoud street late on Monday evening, one protester jokingly told this reporter upon learning he is American, “what if you were a spy, we should take you to the police.” While it was a joke, in Mansoura in the Nile Delta on Monday, a foreign freelance videographer was attacked by protesters and punched in the face, having his belongings stolen before the military interceded. During the 18 days of protests in January that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak, conspiracy theories ran amuck, with a number of foreign journalists and residents being attacked after state television aired reports stating American and Israeli influence in galvanizing the protesters. Worries on the ground now are that this xenophobic craze could be returning. BM
