Slog Comments
After Tahrir Square
5
@1, 96 died at Hillsborough, not just "several".
@2's got the real scoop here. Try reading also the Guardian's coverage here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-e…
What happened in Egypt wasn't about football, and it wasn't an accident. Exits appear to have been deliberately blocked by police. The deaths were caused by stampede and crushing, not attacks. This was a political act, to take the Ultras out of commission, young men who are behind much of the recent political unrest.
@2's got the real scoop here. Try reading also the Guardian's coverage here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-e…
What happened in Egypt wasn't about football, and it wasn't an accident. Exits appear to have been deliberately blocked by police. The deaths were caused by stampede and crushing, not attacks. This was a political act, to take the Ultras out of commission, young men who are behind much of the recent political unrest.
4
The thing about it is that most of those killed where members of Ultras Ahlavy who worked vanguard during the Tahrir Uprising together with other firms like Ultras White Knights who set fire to their Tifo and left during their match in protest.
Also the Port Said Governor and head of Security wasn't present (which is, until this match, unheard of). Many assume that this was set up to give the security forces the right to prolong the current State of Emergency and also a bit of slapping aimed at one of the firms most active in the uprising but also in the protests against the current military control.
@2 not everyone, and cell phones are cheap. The cellphone network is also in-expensive and combined with deals that mean you get to pay off your phone for years everyone can have one.
Also the Port Said Governor and head of Security wasn't present (which is, until this match, unheard of). Many assume that this was set up to give the security forces the right to prolong the current State of Emergency and also a bit of slapping aimed at one of the firms most active in the uprising but also in the protests against the current military control.
@2 not everyone, and cell phones are cheap. The cellphone network is also in-expensive and combined with deals that mean you get to pay off your phone for years everyone can have one.
3
This may be a better post explaining the incident and speculating about some of the political undertones (overtones?).
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02…
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02…
1
Good Morning Charles & Happy Groundhog Day,
Yeah, I read the account yesterday evening. Most distressing and tragic. My condolences to all.
To be sure Egypt is a poor country. Indeed, I rendered a visit three years ago and viewed much poverty. But, I'm not so sure that I would make a connection between poverty and this horrific accident. I do blame ...panic. Accidents like this can happen in develpoed countries but maybe with not as high of a death toll.
Recall, albeit a while ago (1979?) at a Who concert in Cincinnati and at a soccer match in Sheffield, UK several people were crushed to death. More recently in Iraq (2005) 953 people were killed in a stampede on a bridge. They were either crushed, trampled on or drowned falling off of the bridge into the river. All it takes is a spark (bad analogy in the case of last night's tragedy), a large volumne of people and poor escape conditions and you have a ghastly accident.
Yeah, I read the account yesterday evening. Most distressing and tragic. My condolences to all.
To be sure Egypt is a poor country. Indeed, I rendered a visit three years ago and viewed much poverty. But, I'm not so sure that I would make a connection between poverty and this horrific accident. I do blame ...panic. Accidents like this can happen in develpoed countries but maybe with not as high of a death toll.
Recall, albeit a while ago (1979?) at a Who concert in Cincinnati and at a soccer match in Sheffield, UK several people were crushed to death. More recently in Iraq (2005) 953 people were killed in a stampede on a bridge. They were either crushed, trampled on or drowned falling off of the bridge into the river. All it takes is a spark (bad analogy in the case of last night's tragedy), a large volumne of people and poor escape conditions and you have a ghastly accident.
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