by Sunny Hundal

Think that comparisons between crackdown on right to protest in Egypt are not comparable to USA and UK?

Think again. An increasing number of military figures in Egypt are now citing police brutality at #OccupyWallStreet protesters as justification for their own actions.

Earlier today, @SubMedina tweeted this:

So Egyptian State TV is saying SCAF military police emulates US police actions against OWS? The circle is full and spinning.

And then later in the day, this from @Arabist:

Just heard felool on State TV say, “In the West they suppress protests, so why can’t we do it here?” #OWS #tahrir

The idea that people in Egypt are completely divorced from what’s happening in the US simply doesn’t stand up any more.

Yesterday, this video of police casually spraying helpless students with pepper spray (which is a chemical weapon) went viral.

No wonder Egyptian generals feel emboldened to crack down at dissenters at home.