Egyptians rally for democracy
TUESDAY May 1, 2012 Volume 97, Issue 113 W W W.T H E D A I LYA Z T E C . C O M
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Protestors in early April carrying banners opposing the exclusion of Hazem Salah Abu Ismail from the upcoming Egpytian presidential elections at the end of May. | MCT CAMPUS
Sara A. Diaz de Sandi contributor With the Egyptian presidential election, set for May 23 and 24, quickly approaching, thousands of Egyptians from differing political spheres took to protesting in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on April 20 in defiance of remnants from Hosni Mubarak’s administration and the military rule that took power after Mubarak’s expulsion in January. The protest began after Egypt’s election commission disqualified 10 of the 23 candidates running for the presidency. Muslim Brotherhood’s Khairat el-Shater was among the disqualified, along with Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, a conservative Islamist leader.
“Things have been really unstable, confusing and crazy here and people don’t know what’s going to happen anymore.” Reem Nour, SDSU alumna and Nile TV anchor
Reem Nour, a former San Diego State student who graduated in 2010 with a double major in journalism and political science and is now a news reporter and anchor for Nile TV International said, “some of the
demonstrators accused officials of manipulating the presidential elections so that they could extend their powers.” To suppress the remnants of the past regime, the “Disenfranchisement law,” which prevents anyone who
was involved in the Mubarak regime in any way to run for the presidency, was passed a few days ago. The new law, however, begs the question of whether it is undemocratic in itself. “Things have been really unstable, confusing and crazy here and people don’t know what’s going to happen anymore,” Nour added. “There’s a lot of underlying political tension and frustration.” Regarding the current state of Egypt, Nour said, “There’s a lot of controversy and debate surrounding the legitimacy of the parliament, the formation of the constituent assembly and drafting of the constitution … At the end of the day, I’ve learned that nothing is ever farfetched anymore and you have to expect the unexpected.”
Event attempts to ‘cover the night’ Supporters of ‘KONY 2012’ campaign aim for image ubiqutity Jenna De Stefano contributor On April 20, supporters of Invisible Children took to the streets to complete their latest initiative known as “Cover the Night,” to spread the word about the injustices committed by African warlord Joseph Kony. After the nonprofit San Diegobased organization received widespread criticism for the “KONY 2012” campaign, many doubted its “Cover the Night” campaign would be successful. Despite the criticism, young people all throughout the country turned out to support the cause. Almost two months have passed since the controversial video went viral and encouraged young men and women to help Invisible Children stop Kony by putting the spotlight on him. After making two videos about Kony and their plan to stop him, Invisible Children attempted one last time to make him famous by asking people everywhere to join them in “Cover the Night.” Participants of “Cover the Night” were asked to complete three hours
of community service before they went out to cover walls, street signs, windows and buildings with KONY paraphernalia. In San Diego, roughly 50 Invisible Children members volunteered at Emerald Hills Park by picking up trash. Four students from the San Diego State Aztecs for Africa club participated in San Diego’s “Cover the Night.” The group worked with other supporters from Invisible Children’s main office and covered the Gaslamp Quarter. Aztecs for Africa President Carly Parmer described the night as a huge success for Invisible Children, despite ongoing criticism of the group. “I was expecting more negativity from the public, but everyone was very excited to see us,” Parmer said. “One restaurant owner even got his whole staff to wear “KONY 2012” stickers on the front of their tuxedos.” Despite reported success, controversy still followed Invisible Children and “Cover the Night.” Vandalism was reported throughout the country, as people spray-painted and illegally vandalized memorials and unauthorized buildings with KONY-related words and images. However, Invisible Children consistently urged participants to keep the street acts legal. On its website, the nonprofit released a video with the statement, “Invisible Children does not condone
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“Invisible Children does not condone illegal activity ... We encourage creative and legal approaches to promotion only.” Official statement from Invisible Children illegal activity, including trespass and destruction of property. We encourage creative and legal approaches to promotion only. Use common sense.” Also on the website, videos advised participants to ask business owners to paint murals or post paraphernalia, such as stickers, posters and “clean graffiti,” with the promise that they would come back in seven days to clean up the covered surface. There were no known reports of vandalism in San Diego. Aztecs for Africa participants asked every business for permission to put posters in their establishments. “Although the goal was to spread the word about KONY, we also wanted Cover the Night to be legal,” Parmer said. Now that “Cover the Night” has passed, Invisible Children released a
statement to its followers saying they will not stop trying to take action against Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army. Invisible Children plans to collect millions of signatures to bring to the United Nations Security Council meeting in June and ask for an urgent response to the ongoing violence in Central Africa. It plans to keep its supporters involved, but the group has no definite plans for them as of now. As for Aztecs for Africa, Parmer said they are planning a golf tournament this summer to raise funds for a sister school in South Sudan, as well as looking into more local service and volunteer opportunities. Parmer encourages anyone interested in joining the club to attend meetings from 6-7 p.m. every Thursday in Aztec Mesa, room 101.
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... I’ve compiled a list of reasons why I will never willingly attend a three-day long sweat-fest in the desert, no matter who’s performing. B A C K PA G E
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