In Yemen's Tahrir Square, progrovernment crowds counter 'day of wrath'
| Sanaa, Yemen
The day after Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced he would not run for president in upcoming elections, the main square in Yemen鈥檚 capital Sanaa became a base camp for supporters of the Yemeni government.
They carried posters of President Saleh, plastered their SUVs with posters of President Saleh, and ostentatiously declared their love for President Saleh. Men traveled into Sanaa in droves ahead of Thursday's demonstrations from areas known for progovernment sentiment to stage a counterprotest to a major opposition demonstration that had been dubbed Yemen鈥檚 鈥渄ay of wrath.鈥�
鈥淚 am here today to support the President Ali Abdullah Saleh. We want to force unity. The opposition wants to break the unity of this country,鈥� says Saleh Mutayer, from the Khowlan region, while standing in front of a large white tent.
The gathering of counterprotesters, widely believed to have been brought in by the government, might look like an echo of the events in Cairo, where progovernment thugs battled antigovernment demonstrators in Tahrir Square. But many Yemenis say it's standard political maneuvering from Yemen's president to make it appear as if pro-Saleh regime sentiment is still strong.
Today鈥檚 rallies, with thousands participating on each side, come one day after Saleh responded to mounting political pressure by announcing a number of reforms in front of an emergency session of parliament. The session culminated in a promise that he would not run for president again in the upcoming 2013 election.
Progovernment demonstrators say they welcome Saleh's announcement as proof of democracy. But instead of quelling discontent, Saleh鈥檚 comments seem to have emboldened opposition leaders, weary of broken past promises.
More demonstrators came out than last week, and the protesters appeared much more riled up. Men shouted 鈥淕od is great鈥� following speeches delivered by opposition leaders and yelled in agreement to declarations that the regime鈥檚 corruption must come to an end.
The opposition has said it will stage a demonstration every Thursday until there is "real action" to enact government reforms. For now, they say they feel that Saleh鈥檚 statements are just lip service aimed at preventing mass uprising in Yemen.
鈥淸Saleh鈥檚 speech] was repetitive. There are no practical steps in the direction of reform,鈥� said lawyer Amin Al Khadiri at today鈥檚 protest. 鈥淗is speech was a reaction to what happened in Tunisia and Egypt after the political earthquake that is going across the Middle East.鈥�
Indeed, antigovernment demonstrators told the Monitor they prayed at today鈥檚 rally that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and all other dictators be removed from power.
鈥淲e cannot find work because there is corruption. There is no real justice in Yemeni society. Some people get everything and others are starving,鈥� yells Mohamed al-Amrany, who says he can鈥檛 afford to pay for his university studies.
Despite worries about clashes between the two pro- and antigovernment demonstrations, Thursday鈥檚 protests were relatively peaceful, and dispersed around noon. Progovernment demonstrators have vowed to camp out in Sanaa's Tahrir Square until Friday night.
鈥淭he president's address was brave, balanced, and it meets a great deal of the opposition鈥檚 demands. But what is required now is practical steps to translate the words into actions on the ground,鈥� says ruling party parliament member Ali Al-Mamari.
Meanwhile, Washington, which wants to avoid chaos in heavily armed Yemen, where an active branch of Al Qaeda has set up a base, also praised Saleh鈥檚 remarks on Wednesday and said that they were steps in the right direction.
"We welcome any decisions by President Saleh that advance Yemen's political development through nonviolent and democratic means,鈥� said Philip Crowley, the US State Department spokesperson.
