[LINK] Tunisia, Egypt and now Yemen

[Tom Koltai]

Thousands demand president step down
 
AFP January 28, 2011 3:07 AM 
 
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Thousands+demand+president+step+down
/4182075/story.html

Quote/
Thousands of Yemenis, apparently inspired by events in Tunisia and
Egypt, held a mass demonstration yesterday calling on President Ali
Abdullah Saleh to quit after holding power since 1978. 

It came a day after a 28-yearold man set fire to himself in the port
city of Aden, the ex-capital of the the formerly independent south,
witnesses said. That brought to four the number of such copycat
self-immolation attempts in the Arab world's poorest nation. 

The United States, which has played an increasingly active role in
efforts to stem Al-Qa'ida's use of the Arab world's poorest nation as a
rear-base for its worldwide activities, said it backed the right to
peaceful protest. 

Washington backs the right of Yemenis to "express themselves and
assemble freely," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told
reporters, echoing the message that it has been delivering to key Arab
ally Egypt. 

"Enough being in power for (over) 30 years," chanted protesters in
demonstrations staged by the Common Forum opposition in four different
parts of the capital Sanaa. 

In reference to the ouster of veteran Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine
Ben Ali, the demonstrators said he was "gone in just (over) 20 years." 

But Interior Minister Motahar Rashad al-Masri dismissed any resemblance
between the protests in Yemen and the public outcry in the north African
country that led to Ben Ali's departure. 

"Yemen is not like Tunisia," he told AFP, adding that Yemen was a
"democratic country" and that the demonstrations were peaceful. 

Witnesses said that during protests on Wednesday a bus station employee
set fire to himself in a central square in Aden and was only saved from
death by the swift action of passers-by who put out the flames. 

Medics said he remained in intensive care after suffering extensive
burns. He was at least the fourth such protester, security sources said.


Security measures at the demonstrations appeared relaxed, but were tight
around the interior ministry and the central bank. 

Saleh's ruling General People's Congress (GPC), meanwhile, organized
four simultaneous counter-demonstrations which were attended by
thousands of the government's backers. 

"No to toppling democracy and the constitution," the president's
supporters said on their banners. 

On Saturday, hundreds of Sanaa University students held counter protests
on campus, with some calling for Saleh to step down and others for him
to remain in office.

/Quote