Students protesting in Islamabad Thursday (Photo: Agence France-Presse)
Sep 20, 2012
Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Pakistan on Thursday to express continued anger over the anti-Islam video that has caused international rage for over a week. The demonstrations are expected to multiply on Friday, after the Pakistani government declared a national holiday for people to demonstrate against the film.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani army was called upon to protect foreign embassies, as the total number of protesters reached around 5,000 in Pakistan's capital Islamabad. At least 50 people were injured as police fired tear gas and live rounds towards the crowds as they tore down road blocks and barriers in the city. The crowd chanted: "Obama, Obama, We are all Osama."
Rehman Baig, a postgraduate student, told the Guardian, the crowd was determined to reach the US embassy and demand the dismissal of the US Ambassador.
The demonstrations are only expected to grow on Friday, the traditional Muslim day of prayer, across the world.
The Pakistani government deemed Friday a national holiday "so people can demonstrate peacefully against the film", as well as "a day of love for the prophet." But the move was welcomed by the Taliban and "risks substantially increasing the already high threat of violence on the traditional Islamic holy day," the Guardianreports.
The U.S. State Department on Thursday warned all U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Pakistan until further notice. They "strongly urged" those who are already there to avoid protests and large gatherings.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Pakistan on Thursday to express continued anger over the anti-Islam video that has caused international rage for over a week. The demonstrations are expected to multiply on Friday, after the Pakistani government declared a national holiday for people to demonstrate against the film.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani army was called upon to protect foreign embassies, as the total number of protesters reached around 5,000 in Pakistan's capital Islamabad. At least 50 people were injured as police fired tear gas and live rounds towards the crowds as they tore down road blocks and barriers in the city. The crowd chanted: "Obama, Obama, We are all Osama."
Rehman Baig, a postgraduate student, told the Guardian, the crowd was determined to reach the US embassy and demand the dismissal of the US Ambassador.
The demonstrations are only expected to grow on Friday, the traditional Muslim day of prayer, across the world.
The Pakistani government deemed Friday a national holiday "so people can demonstrate peacefully against the film", as well as "a day of love for the prophet." But the move was welcomed by the Taliban and "risks substantially increasing the already high threat of violence on the traditional Islamic holy day," the Guardianreports.
The U.S. State Department on Thursday warned all U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Pakistan until further notice. They "strongly urged" those who are already there to avoid protests and large gatherings.
Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Pakistan on Thursday to express continued anger over the anti-Islam video that has caused international rage for over a week. The demonstrations are expected to multiply on Friday, after the Pakistani government declared a national holiday for people to demonstrate against the film.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani army was called upon to protect foreign embassies, as the total number of protesters reached around 5,000 in Pakistan's capital Islamabad. At least 50 people were injured as police fired tear gas and live rounds towards the crowds as they tore down road blocks and barriers in the city. The crowd chanted: "Obama, Obama, We are all Osama."
Rehman Baig, a postgraduate student, told the Guardian, the crowd was determined to reach the US embassy and demand the dismissal of the US Ambassador.
The demonstrations are only expected to grow on Friday, the traditional Muslim day of prayer, across the world.
The Pakistani government deemed Friday a national holiday "so people can demonstrate peacefully against the film", as well as "a day of love for the prophet." But the move was welcomed by the Taliban and "risks substantially increasing the already high threat of violence on the traditional Islamic holy day," the Guardianreports.
The U.S. State Department on Thursday warned all U.S. citizens to defer non-essential travel to Pakistan until further notice. They "strongly urged" those who are already there to avoid protests and large gatherings.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.