They really need to stop chanting

A few weeks ago, there was a protest on my street one afternoon. The protesters came, chanted, and went home. A satisfying afternoon for all. This week, however, has seen constant protesting for three days so far and no sign of slowing. The protesters sleep on the street, chanting at various times during the night (even after midnight!) and throughout the day, starting in the early morning. They use megaphones and whistles. I am so over their political dissidence. If only they could protest silently, perhaps while wearing mime costumes. I think it would be much more effective.

I'm not sure exactly what they're protesting about. As you can see, the signs are written in Arabic, and they chant in Arabic as well. Roommate 2 does a highly entertaining impression in which she marches in a circle and chants: "Wehid, ithnain, aindi fraula!" because that's what it sounds like from here (translation: "One, two, I have strawberries!).


More disturbing than the protesters are the legions of black-clad soldiers who have moved in to keep the peace, as it were. The protest is perfectly peaceful and stays within its constructed boundaries, but there are still tons of riot helmet-clad soldiers to spare. They come in big buses and look pretty bored most of the time, except when they practice running toward and away from the protesters at various intervals. Since my building is protest central, I always get strange looks coming home, and Roommate 1 was apparently accosted when coming in because some soldiers didn't think she actually lives here. Perhaps she looks dangerous?

As I said, I'm not sure what the point of the protest is, but Roommate 2 told me that 7a says that the doorman told her that they are protesting to get higher wages for government workers, but that information is not reported with the most reliable of journalistic techniques. In hopes of establishing more authenticity, I have also posted a video in which you can see and hear the ruckus. These pictures and video are courtesy of Roommate 6 and her superior camerawork.