Tunisia – Violent protests outside the U.S. embassy in Tunis were met with tear gas and gunshots Friday, leaving two people dead, 29 others injured and waves of black smoke wafting over the city.
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Several dozen protesters briefly stormed the U.S. Embassy compound in Tunisia’s capital, setting fire to cars and raising a flag with the Muslim profession of faith on it as part of the protests against an anti-Muslim film.
Earlier, several thousand demonstrators had gathered outside the U.S. embassy, including stone-throwing protesters who clashed with police, according to an Associated Press reporter on the scene. Police responded with gunshots and tear gas.
The state news agency TAP, citing the health ministry, said both of those killed were demonstrators, while the injured included both protesters and police.
A Tunisian employee of the U.S. embassy who had an injured leg was taken out on a stretcher to an ambulance. It wasn’t immediately clear if there were any other injuries. Embassy spokespeople did not respond to calls and emails.
Protesters also set fire to an American school adjacent to the embassy compound and prevented firefighters from approaching it. Thick columns of black smoke wafted through the neighborhood.
The group that breached the U.S. embassy’s outer wall was eventually pushed back outside by police and special forces. As night fell, the crowd of protesters outside the embassy dwindled to a handful.
Crowds angry over an anti-Muslim film ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad have assaulted U.S. embassies across the Middle East.
Oh my goodness… I almost had a heart attack agreeing w\Mark Levin (of all people-lol), on another article, that these thugs have PRE-PLANNED these attacks for sure! This isn’t about some stupid, obscure, ignorant video. That was just an excuse to create mass chaos everywhere!
I say we GET OUT of the Middle-East all together! Why do we need to police the World all the time?! If these people don’t want us there, I say we get out! There’s certain *particular* people that are bad enough that it’s worth it to hunt them down. But that can be done much more efficiently than having an entire war over something!
What a mess! Thank G-d there is a steady Leader w\a calm spirit & cool head in the White House at this time. I can’t imagine what things would be like w\all this drama going on around the World, if there was a “President Romney” in there! We know we’d all be headed to a WWIII by now, w\all his ridiculous rhetoric!
If we had only suspected then — during the unfolding of the Arab Spring — what we know now! It is obvious that the only thing unleashed by the Arab Spring is the pent-up hatred of Arabs for the West. At least leaders like Gadaffi and Mubarak were able to restrain the masses from violence. Now with their so-called freedom, all hell has been let loose. Hashem Yerachem.
Don’t give them another penny!!
Hey…Obama loves the Arab spring when it deposes leaders friendly to the US…maybe he even likes it when it attacks US targets themselves.
to #1 -
You got to be kidding!
Obama is out of his league here. Maybe he should go back to Cairo and profess our friendship.
I think he needs a diaper change!
I’m all confused I thought president carter is looong gone!!
We need a commander in chief!!
We need republican and we need it now!!!
The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:
“The murder of an ambassador in Libya and the attacks on US diplomatic missions in other Arab countries is sure to strengthen the skepticism that more than a few Americans feel toward Muslims and the political changes brought by the Arab revolutions. The deeply held American belief that all you have to do is liberate people from serfdom and dictatorship, and then democracy and a market economy will develop more or less on their own, burned to ash in the trial by fire of Iraq. A fact that academics and historically informed diplomats have always known can now be observed throughout the Arab world: Deeply ingrained cultural attitudes do not change simply because one political regime replaces another. In the long process of building a democratic society, it is not possible to simply skip stages.”
The best that we can hope for now is that Americans get out safely.. and those rioting just kill off as many of each other as they can….let Israel wait out this fire storm and pray that our people there remain safe. I wonder if Mr. Obama is proud of the mess created by his failed approach to Mid East politics. As another poster suggested he is as bad as Chamberlain was in understanding those who want to be our enemy.
how could ;the US have allowed this to happen after the murders in lybia? why weren’t enough precautions taken?
For many years, the Egyptian press as well as the press in other Arab countries has printed the most vile, anti-semitic cartoons, which depict Jews in the most obscene caricatures. Some of them are similar to Der Stuermer. Yet, nobody has said a word about that. I guess that it is ok engage in anti-semitism, but if Muhammed, their exalted prophet is insulted, it is a green light to riot. Incidentally, pertaining to those who are rioting and throwing rocks, do they have full time jobs? Did they get a permission from their employers to be excused from work with a signed note which stated “Please excuse Mr. Achmed bin Farzi from work today, as he has to riot, throw rocks, commit arson, and engage in anti-infidel activities”. Inshallah!
When I first saw the headline “2 Dead, 29 Injured At US Embassy Protest In Tunis,” I said to myself “No, not more of this!,” but then I realized that it is dirty arabs who got killed and injured. To which of course we say kein yirbu.
The Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, currently commanded by COL Michael D Robinson, has a lot to answer for.
I worked at Marine Corps protected premises for many years, and the troops on the ground seemed motivated enough – at that time. What has caused the serious decay in standards since then is anyone’s guess. I suppose we will have to wait for the Court of Enquiry to meet, conclude, and submit its findings.