The Observers

YouTube assault video worsens Somali reputation

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:31:19 +0100

A group of Minneapolis teenagers have found themselves making headlines after publishing a video of themselves pushing people over in the street. Identified as of Somali origin, the pranksters will, our observer explains, only add fuel to the fire for the local anti-Somali press.

The six-minute-video was posted on YouTube by "madbi001" on 17 November. Despite a jovial introduction and upbeat soundtrack, the cruel scenes that follow were found far from funny by most YouTubers and soon came to the attention of the local police, leading to the immediate arrest of two members of the group. The incident soon found its way into the local headlines - many of them quick to report that the boys are Somali (when in fact they are American of Somali origin).

Immigration from Somalia into the US began in the early 1990s when the civil war started. Since then, tens of thousands of Somalis have arrived in the country, and Minnesota has received the largest numbers. The city estimates that 60-70,000 residents are of Somali origin.

Video: Pro-regime university speaker shouted down by students

Team Observers — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:11:45 +0100

Pro-regime speakers are regularly invited by University Bassij to speak before students - but since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial re-election in June, they face increasingly hostile audiences. On November 16, one of Ahmadinejad's staunchest supporters was booed to silence with calls of "murderer" and "liar, go away!" But students often pay the price for their outspokenness.

Mullah Hamid Rasaei, a prominent Member of Parliament and one of Ahmadinejad's most vocal supporters, was invited to speak at the Imam Khomeini University of Qazvim, a town near Tehran. A few minutes into his speech, however, he is forced to abandon the floor after being drowned out by the slogans and shouts of angry students. He tries to raise his voice and rebuke the crowd for insulting him, but his words only fuel the student's anger. Cries of "Students will die but never give up!" ring out, along with slogans of "Death to the dictator!" and "Death to Russia!" (many opponents of Ahmadinejad believe that his government is being propped up by Russia). Meanwhile, Bassij event organisers shout back "Death to America!"

UK to follow Australian apology for ‘Lost Innocents’?

Julien — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:27:26 +0100

Clontarf Boys Town, outside Perth, Western Australia. Posted by Michael Gormley on his blog.

It was an emotional day for Australia on Monday when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd publicly apologised to the estimated 500,000 children who were abused in government institutions between the 1930s and 1970s - what he called "The absolute tragedy of childhoods lost".

Instead of being adopted or placed in foster care, children aged between three and 14 years-old were placed in institutions where they are reported to have been emotionally, physically and/or sexually abused. About 7,000 to 10,000 of them were child migrants from the UK, known in Australia as the ‘Lost Innocents'.

After Rudd's emotional apology, there are growing calls for the British government to issue a similar admission to the 150,000 youngsters they forcibly shipped to Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other Commonwealth countries. In 1998 an extensive UK parliament report into the programme revealed serious flaws and subsequently, grave consequences. But as yet, no British premier has delivered an official apology.

The Irish take on "Thievery" Henry

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:21:58 +0100

The Web is ablaze over France's controversial qualification for the World Cup, or to be precise, Thierry Henry's handball, which shattered Ireland's chances of taking part in the 2010 tournament.

Facebook and YouTube have been bombarded with cries of injustice from Irish users (most of them in the most humorous of manners, as is the Irish way). Twitter too, where the tag #thierryhenry has proved a huge hit, even attracting French fans looking to apologise for the striker's blatant misdemeanour.

Posted onTwitpic.

Posted on "Antoine’s mouth"

Spray cans in Tehran – risky but increasingly popular

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:03:41 +0100

The most famous piece of Iranian graffiti is probably the deathly Statue of Liberty painted on the wall of the former US Embassy in Tehran. There's far more to street art than anti-American paintings however, and in the past two years, it's become more popular than ever.

Here are a few examples, sent to us by one of our Observers in Tehran, Alireza.

Pre-match Khartoum heating up

Team Observers — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:34:24 +0100

Slogans and partisan chants were ringing out in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, ahead of Wednesday’s much anticipated World Cup qualification play-off between Egypt and Algeria.

Thousands of football fans have flooded into Khartoum, a city little used to hosting events of such international scope. The stadium has a capacity of 41,000 spectators, but authorities have limited ticket sales to 35,000 for security reasons. Egypt and Algeria have each been allocated 9,000 seats for the game.

Destroyed by police, the migrant "jungle" is up again by nightfall

Team Observers — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:49:53 +0100

French police bulldozed a migrant settlement in Dunkirk on Tuesday morning and arrested around 50 residents. Our Observer there explains that the very same day, the immigrants started rebuilding their "jungle".

Aïssa Zaibet is a school supervisor at a school in Dunkirk. He's also a member of the People's Anti-Racist and Pro-Friendship Movement (MRAP). He's been helping migrants from the Loon-Plage camp for seven years.

The operation began at 7.30am. When I got there, the police were taking down the shacks and handcuffing the Afghanis and Iraqis who live in them. Bulldozers then tore down their makeshift homes. This kind of operation is absolutely pointless - the very same night, the migrants had rebuilt the camp in the same place.

Five months ago, the police did exactly the same thing. It's always the same. Those who manage to run away in time come back as soon as the police have gone and start rebuilding with materials that we've given them. The ones who are arrested are released after a week with an order to leave the country. France doesn't deport people on charter flights, because there's so much opposition [three Afghanis were deported in October however]. And so it goes on...

The migrants are trying to get to the UK. They come to Loon-Plage because it's 300 metres from the ferry terminal. There, they try to sneak into trailers or onto bars beneath vehicles to get across the Channel illegally. It works. It can take up to four months to get there, but they almost always make it.

Everyone talks about the ‘destruction' of the jungle. But it's only for show. It doesn't do anything."

Photos taken by Aïssa Zaibet for the MRAP movement.

Buy your bribe online

Team Observers — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:46:41 +0100

Published on the website "mstaml".

"Looking for well-connected person ready to accept a bribe for a job in telecommunications. Serious applicants only". In Saudi Arabia, this type of online classified ad is nothing out of the ordinary – it’s just another way to find a job.

The Saudi classified ad website "mstaml" (usager) is one of the most popular in the country, with up to 570,000 daily visitors. At first sight, it’s the Arabic version of any mainstream classified ad site, with postings for real estate, cars, jobs, electrical appliances and the like… On closer inspection, however, the site is peppered with hundreds of ads blatantly advertising all types of corruption, whether it be to obtain a job, a visa or government funding of some kind. According to our Observer, the practice is so common it is almost official.

"Looking for a work certificate for the period going from July 2003 to July 2008 in a large company. Name your price, as long as you get it for me"

Published on the website "mstaml".

Irate fans vandalised Egyptian offices while “police stood by and watched”

Team Observers — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:48:28 +0100

After last weekend’s tense World Cup qualification football game pitting Egypt’s Pharaohs against Algeria’s Fennecs (the Pharaohs won 2-0), irate Algerian football fans vandalised several Egyptian businesses in Algiers. On Sunday, Anis (not his real name) found himself near the offices of telephone operator Djezzy, owned by Egyptian company Orascom, when an angry mob stormed the site. According to Anis, police officers stood by and watched as violent youths went on the rampage in the company's offices. However, reports in Algerian daily El Watan claimed "anti-riot forces intervened to stop the vandalism” and made “several arrests". According to Orascom, the angry football fans damaged several million dollars worth of property.

(The most violent images appear at 3 minutes 50 seconds)

I came across a group of about 200 youths headed towards the Djezzy headquarters, in the Algiers neighbourhood of Dar el-Beida. I decided to follow them. They didn’t look like typical vandals, more like neighbourhood kids. There were a dozen anti-riot police vans stationed around the building. Youths began throwing rocks at the windows, but the police did nothing. So the kids began throwing bigger rocks, then breaking down the door, and still the police did nothing. The mob went on the rampage and vandalised every single floor of the building, but the police didn’t intervene until some of them tried to set fire to the place. It almost looked as if the police was stationed there to protect the rioters, not the building! The incidents began at 7.30pm and lasted until the following morning. Many shops were attacked in the city centre, but the company headquarters suffered the worst damage. If Algeria looses Wednesday’s run-off game and does not qualify for the World Cup, I can guarantee that there will be even more damage.

Not all Chinese Web users like Obama

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:57:56 +0100

US President Barack Obama was treated to a grandiose welcome in Beijing, where he met his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on Tuesday. The pair agreed to strengthen ties between the two countries. But on the Web, feelings were not so warm.

Forty-six percent of Chinese Web users say that they "do not like" Obama. Looking at online forums however, the extent of this dislike appears to be much stronger. For Lin20000xin, "This meeting with the American is stupid and pointless".

Contributor Wugu Shenlong says that "There's not one good thing about those American fiends". ‘Map' suggests that "The Senate has passed a law that means Americans have to kneel in front of a statue of Barack Obama when they get up and go to bed". There are also racist comments, like the following one from Milkman 007: The nigger is a cross-breed trying to conquer the world and mankind".

Source: hecaitou.net

Oubama from china-files on Vimeo.

South African shack dwellers: “The police are attacking us”

Sophie Team Observers — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:22:39 +0100

Image by posted by MrUmhlangarocks on YouTube.

A group of Durban shack dwellers say that local police attacked, abused, and intimidated residents on Friday night. It's the third alleged police-related attack in two months. But why would authorities target a group of shack dwellers?

Our Observer says that the November 13 attack is part of a mission to get rid of an increasingly powerful shack dwellers' rights group which is critical of ruling party ANC. Just two months ago the police failed to react to fatal clashes (see video below) in the neighbouring shantytown of Kennedy Road - which is also home to the movement. Activists condemned the violence as "coordinated" and the police as "complicit", in an open letter to President Jacob Zuma, which received over 1,250 signatures.

Since then, 32 "Abahlali baseMjondolo" movement members have been arrested, including 13 on Friday night (released on Monday). The group says it is "under attack" from the police. FRANCE 24 contacted the South African Police Service; they are yet to reply.

Chavez or no Chavez, they're crossing the border

Sophie Team Observers — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:01:34 +0100

Worsening relations between Colombia and Venezuela led to a decision on November 3 by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to close the border between the two countries. Instead of giving in to the obstacle however, residents from either side are finding every way round it.

On November 9 President Chavez told Venezuelans to prepare for war with Colombia, after it emerged the US army had been granted access to seven of the country's military bases. Chavez had already closed the border with Colombia a week earlier, following the murder of two border guards. Caracas suspected the Colombian paramilitary of carrying out the attack. This was followed by the killing of nine Venezuelans from the border town of Tachira. And to top things off, Chavez believed that the government in Bogota was planning to assassinate him.

Chavez deployed 15,000 Bolivian National Guards (GNB) along a 2,000-metre stretch of the frontier. The border towns of Mara, Páez and Almirante Padilla soon found themselves home to tanks and armoured vehicles.

Despite the tensions, however, residents from both sides of the border remain on good terms, and even manage, in various ways, to reach their neighbour's side.

Images from state run media Globovision.

War drawn by those who wage it

Julien — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:56:39 +0100

At first sight they seem to be children's drawings of jungles, mountains and rivers. But on closer inspection the details come into focus: people pleading for mercy before being executed, women being raped, hostages tied up, giant cemeteries...

Former Colombian combatants have painted some 90 canvasses as part of an exhibition called "The war we have not seen", currently on display in Bogota's Modern Art Museum. The large-format paintings were made by former members of the guerrilla, the paramilitary and the national army. The 35 men and women - who have deserted, demobilized or been wounded in combat - took up artist Juan Manuel Echavarría's invitation to capture their wartime experiences with paint and brushes.

Photo: Ernesto Monsalve Pino / Bogota Museum of Modern Art

Algeria-Egypt turns violent

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:17:39 +0100

Defender Rafik Halliche sustained a head injury in the attack. Posted on YouTube here.

The Algerian team bus was attacked by stone-throwers last night as it made its way from Cairo airport to the hotel where the players are staying for Saturday's World Cup qualifier with the Egyptian Pharaohs. Five players were injured in the attack.

Despite a heavy police presence, around 200 home fans emerged from the bushes by the motorway and hurled stones towards the bus, shattering the windscreen and several windows. The Algerian Minister for Foreign Affairs expressed dismay over the attack in a press release.

For some weeks now hostility between fans from the two countries has been worsening both online and in the media.

Tensions are running very high for the Egyptians, winners of the 2008 African Cup of Nations (CAN). To qualify on Saturday, the team needs to win by a margin of at least three goals, while Algeria, top of group C, can still be on their way to the World Cup even if they give away one goal.

China scaring kids out of fast food chains

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:59:44 +0100

Look carefully at this picture. If you weren't scared of feeding a burger to your six-year-old, you might be now. The ad is part of an awareness campaign launched by the Chinese authorities, who are dealing with an ever-widening population. At the same time however, Beijing city centre is just about to open its first ever Burger King.

While the city of Shanghai is abuzz with preparations for the 2010 World Expo, Beijingers have another thing on their minds: Burger King. Although other fast-food chains exist in the capital, aside from the one rather inconvenient station at the airport, Beijing proper is currently not home to Burger King's whopper. A much-anticipated first outlet of the fast food chain however, is supposed to debut soon in the commercial area of Xidan. Major restaurant review website Dianpin has already devoted an entire page to the new Burger King, on which eager meat-eating minions are readily expressing their enthusiasm for its huangbao, or "emperor burger".

Although true to its name, this Chinese version of the whopper may be fit for a modern day emperor, but after eating the huangbao, will the emperor still fit into his clothes? Before Burger King even opens, the Chinese are already facing an obesity problem, with one in six, or 215 million people, overweight or obese. This still remains relatively low compared with Western countries however - even in France, almost one in three people are classed as overweight.