Palestinians and Pakistanis voiced their fury in the latest wave of violent protests against an infamous anti-Muslim film. In response to the rising tensions Hillary Clinton promised aggressive steps to ensure the safety of US embassies.
Politic, religious and trade organizations swarmed in Pakistan’s commercial hub, Karachi, to condemn the US-made film Innocence of the Muslims, which they view as blasphemous.At different points throughout the city around 2000 Muslim activists clashed with police and blocked roads with burning tires. They yelled anti-US slogans and burned the US flag and an effigy of President Barack Obama. Police blocked activists from arrived at the US consulate in the center of the city.While in the city of Peshawar in the country’s tumultuous northern region armored vehicles and police in riot gear were deployed to block demonstrators from gaining access to the US embassy. "We used teargas shells and lobbed gas grenades because the protesters were trying to come closer to the sensitive area," senior police officer Imtiaz Khan told AFP. Close to the Afghan border in the city of Chaman over 1,500 members of a pro-Taliban religious organization marched the streets, amid cries of "Down with America”, “Hang the filmmakers” and “Long Live the Taliban!”
Palestinians also expressed their ire over the scandalous anti-Islam video. Hundreds of activists scuffled with police in East Jerusalem, hurling firebombs and stones at police who responded with tear gas to disperse them. Around 20 people were reportedly injured in the altercation.Access to the video that slanders the Prophet Mohammed, portraying him as a womanizer and a fraud has already been restricted in several countries by Google. However, the Pakistani and Bangladeshi governments have simply blocked YouTube entirely to curtail the spreading unrest.
‘Aggressive steps’
In response to the wave of anti-American sentiment sweeping across the Muslim world Washington has pledged to reassess its security police with a view to ensuring the safety of US embassies and their staff."We are taking aggressive steps to protect our staffs in embassies and consulates worldwide," Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton said to the press.She went on to say that “we will not rest until the people who orchestrated this attack [on the US embassy in Benghazi] are found and punished."The FBI has launched a probe into the death of four diplomatic staff in Libya, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, who were killed last week when militants broke into the embassy compound in Benghazi. Clinton said the US was working in tandem with the Libyan government “to be sure who murdered our four colleagues and under what circumstances."