Egypt's 'Occupy Cabinet' Sit-In Has Turned into a Scary Riot
Confirming that he probably shouldn't be in power, Gen. Abdel Moneim Kato, a military adviser in the government's Morale Affairs Department said yesterday that protesters "deserve to be thrown into Hitler's ovens." Egyptian newspaper Al-Shorouk captured the comments (not being proficient in Arabic, we're relying on a Google translation and English-speaking news outlets covering the quotes and the ensuing outrage). Kato was attempting to justify the violence against protesters, comparing them to "some street bully who deserves to be thrown into Hitler's ovens." Granted, Kato is the first Egyptian official to connect street bullies, Occupy Cabinet protesters and the Holocaust, but other military officials have, since protests turned violent, either denied using excessive force against protesters or, like he and another general did yesterday, actually blame the people they were shooting (and sometimes killing) for provoking the soldiers. And keeping with the course, Kato then blamed the media for covering the violent incidents. "Media always avoid the crux of a problem."
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Alexander Abad-Santos
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