Reports of machine gun fire and Molotov cocktails lobbed at anti-government demonstrators in Cairo by pro-Mubarak forces sparked a flurry of disapproving commentary from the West on Wednesday and stoked concerns about Egypt’s volatility in the Middle East. –KA

CNN:

The time for a political transition in Egypt “is now,” U.S. presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs said. The Egyptian people “need to see change,” and a “meaningful transition must include opposition voices and parties being involved in this process as we move toward free and fair elections.”

U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley denounced the attacks, calling them “a direct threat to the aspirations of the Egyptian people.”

“The use of violence to intimidate the Egyptian people must stop. We strongly call for restraint,” he said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron warned that “if it turns out that the (Mubarak) regime in any way has been sponsoring or tolerating this violence, that would be completely and utterly unacceptable.”

Read more

Your support is crucial...

As we navigate an uncertain 2025, with a new administration questioning press freedoms, the risks are clear: our ability to report freely is under threat.

Your tax-deductible donation enables us to dig deeper, delivering fearless investigative reporting and analysis that exposes the reality beneath the headlines — without compromise.

Now is the time to take action. Stand with our courageous journalists. Donate today to protect a free press, uphold democracy and uncover the stories that need to be told.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG