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The Vegetable Seller Who Started it All
In Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, a man who was trying to make a living off of selling vegetables went by the name of Mohamed Bouazizi. A policewoman approached this man, demanding that he hand over his vegetable cart. This man was the sole provider for a mother and six siblings, so regardless of the fact he lacked a permit to sell, he refused to hand over the cart. The policewoman reacted in violence and slapped Bouazizi, publicly humiliating him, causing him to set himself on fire. -
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The Arab Spring
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Tunisian President Takes Action
The sacrifice of the vegetable seller went on the spark protests that have now been going on for ten days. Riots have began to break out, and the Tunisian President aired on televsion to threaten an end to violent protestors of graduate unemployment. At this point, the president promised more jobs and punishment to rioters. There have been three casualties so far, including Bouazizi. -
New Year's Suicide Bomber
In Egypt, a suicide bomber killed at least 21 people and severely injured 70 at a church following a New Year's service. The governor of Alexandria, the location of the church, claimed that the attack was a planned by al-Qaida, as they have threatened to attack the churches before. After the explosion, riots broke out among Christians and Muslims, as the blast had also affected a nearby Mosque and killed 8 Muslims. -
11 Deaths Reported in Tunisia
11 deaths are reported after clashes between citizens and police forces broke out, along with eight casualities in Thala and Kasserine due to riots attacking public buildings and burning vehicles. At this point, people have began requesting the president call for a cease-fire in order to save innocent lives. -
Tunisian Protests Cause Algerian Suicide
Mohsen Bouterfif set himself on fire as protest in Algeria because he could not find a home or a job and as a copycat ritual to the original spark of the Arab Spring uprisings, the death of the vegetable seller. -
Turnisian President Caves
The Turnisian President, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, finally gave in to protesters and fled the country, heading to Saudi Arabia. This leads the prime minister to take over as president until elections are held. Fear sweeps the city that Ben-Ali may be able to return to the city before the elections could be held, forcing among the citizens. This caused the security forces to arm down, and begin to club citizens and open fire if necessary. -
Protest Casualties Spread through Middle East
Egypt's uprising acted as a sort of shock-factor to surrounding countries in the Middle East. Violence began to break out in Iran and Bahrain with two deaths reported in street violence as well as violent acts being demonstrated in Yemen. -
Day of Rage
The Day of Rage was a day of protests that spread throught the entire Middle East with at least 6 people killed. In Iraq, there was anger over ver corruption and abysmal basic services. In Yemen tens of thousands of people called for an end to the 32-year reign of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. In Egypt, activists returned to Tahrir Square to demand a faster pace to reforms. In Tunisia, the people demanded the prime minister resign. Bahrain and Jordan demaded political reform. -
Yemen Police Brutality
Yemeni police officers kill four people, one being a fifteen year old student, and wound hundreds more on a harsh crackdown of anti-governement protests. Security troops surrounded the square with police cars shortly after midnight and began calling on protesters through loudspeakers to go home. After five hours, they began firing. -
Jordan Man Goes Up in Flames
A citizen of Jordan recreates the original event and sets himself on fire outside of the prime minister's office in Amman. This left the man in critical condition with third degree burns. Prior to March 25, protests in Jordan had been much more peaceful than those in the rest of the Middle East, but conflict arose between gov't supporters and opposers resulting in a death and 120 wounded. -
Teenage Boy becomes Syria's Famous Victim
13-year-old named Hamza al-Khatib became the most famous victim of the bloody side of Syria's Arab Spring. Hamza was picked up by security forces in late April, and in late May his badly mutilated corpse was released to his family, who were warned to keep silent. The marks on the corpse show signs of tortue: bullet wounds, black eyes, cuts, bruises, and whip marks. Along with these devastating mutilations, al-Khatib's neck was broken and his penis was cut off.
