1000 South Africans rally at US Embassy against NATO over 100,000 revolutionary supporters spilled into the streets chanting againts Gaddafi in Benghazi
Wednesday’s union-organized rally ended with the handing over of a memorandum to U.S. officials saying bombings are undermining African efforts to negotiate a solution. PRETORIA, South Africa — More than 1,000 South Africans have rallied at the U.S. Embassy to call for an end to NATO strikes on Libya. South African President Jacob Zuma is leading stalled African Union mediation efforts. He has faced criticism at home for supporting a U.N. resolution calling for protecting civilians in Libya.
Benghazi chants “Gaddafi, go!” in show of strength
Tens of thousands of Libyans waving European and ndependence flags marched through Benghazi today in a noisy bid to boost morale in an increasingly stale war against Muammar Gaddafi.In a huge show of anti-Gaddafi sentiment in a chaotically run Mediterranean city of 700,000, over 100,000 revolutionary supporters spilled into the streets chanting “The people want the fall of Gaddafi’s regime” and holding crudely drawn anti-Gaddafi caricatures.The rally’s spontaneous character contrasted sharply with Tripoli’s stage-managed demonstrations organised by the state regularly in support of Gaddafi. Most shops and cafes were closed in central Benghazi as people rushed through its dusty, meandering streets to join in. A helicopter, its shiny surface plastered with Libya’s independence tricolour flag, hoveredlow above the crowd. Some fired their AK-47 rifles into the air in jubilation. Others whistled wildly, holding giant flags above their heads. Revolutionary soldiers watched out for any trouble from the back of their battered pickups equipped with Soviet-made machine guns. “We want the world to see that Libya is against Gaddafi and that we want freedom,” said Nuri Abbar, a 40-year-old former policeman.
“We want people in Tripoli who are forced to be silent to see this and do the same. Then we will win.” With fighting deadlocked on Libya’s many fronts, some fear that ordinary people, concerned with growing prices and tough living conditions
