Government Blocks Websites as Yemen Protests Escalate

Sana'a, Mar 10, 2011- The Yemeni government has blocked some social media websites including Facebook as the anti-regime protests are escalating across the republic.

The government believes the social media is an effective tool supporting the protests as hundreds of thousands of people have been conducting sit-ins for weeks and millions taking to the streets in various cities in the aftermath of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions.

More recently, thousands of riot police and military vehicles have been deployed to the streets amid the persistent political stalemate and the determination of the protesters, who have vowed not to abandon what they are on until the regime was ousted.

In all cities witnessing rallies and sit-ins, the people have one goal: to remove the Saleh regime.

The Joint Meeting Parties, the opposition coalition, rejected today a new initiative by President Saleh saying whatever Saleh offers or announces will not help address Yemen’s problems, days after the coalition vowed to step up the anti-government protest.

In Taiz where hundreds of thousands have been conducting a sit-in for almost a month, the sit-inners plan a Friday of march tomorrow as tens of thousands have been assembling outside Sana’a University in the capital.

In the last few Fridays, millions of Yemeni people prayed in the streets in many cities in support of the anti-regime sit-ins. Preachers delivering sermons urged the youths and other people to hold on and continue their protest as part of their legal rights to press for change.

Source: Yemen Post