The pro-democracy protests in the Muslim World often escalate on Fridays, as the faithful gather for prayers on Friday morning and then, already organized, take to the streets for protests the rest of the day. Today was no different, and indeed likely rivals the peak of the Egypt Revolution for the biggest number of protesters region-wide.
Of course, at its peak we saw “million man” marches in Egypt. So just how big were today’s marches? The exact figures are tough to measure, especially with a massive protests/clashes across Libya, but a look at the region suggests that they are broader, if not in sheer size, then surely in territory covered.
- Mauritania: Somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 demand reforms.
- Tunisia: Nearly 100,000 rally in Tunis demanding ouster of “interim PM.”
- Libya: Tens of thousands in Tripoli alone, and mass celebratory rallies elsewhere.
- Egypt: Military chases tens of thousands out of Cairo’s Tahrir Square.
- Jordan: At least 5,000 protesters rally in Amman.
- Iraq: Tens of thousands reported in several cities across the nation, 23 killed in a violent crackdown.
- Yemen: 180,000 anti-regime protesters rally across the nation.
- Bahrain: Nearly 100,000 protesters remain on the streets.