Wael Ghonim Interview 60 Minutes

Wael Ghonim gave an interview with 60 Minutes

Important points from anchor: 2/3 of population 30 and under, mostly educated, mostly unemployed. Out maneuvered regime through social media.



Some comments by Ghonim:

Thanks, thanks, thanks to the regime. If they had not kept oppressing and oppressing. They shut down facebook. So, instead of allowing people to read information and share ideas, they forced them to go to the streets. They told the people that they were scared "like hell" of the revolution.

We are going to win because our tears come from our hearts. We are going to win because we have a dream (channeling MLK?) and if anyone stands up in front of it, we are ready to die for our dream.

The only thing that keeps people from acting is the psychological barrier of fear. When that barrier is broken, revolution can happen.

Kahlid Said - Eternal Happiness (We are all Khalid Said)

Khalid Said was beaten to death by the Egyptian police after he video taped a drug bust where the police took the drugs and money for themselves. He posted it on the internet, probably from the internet cafe that he was half owner of (information from another report).

(Per anchor, contrary to Malcolm Gladwell's idea that high risk activism requires personal, face to face, deep rooted friendship, most of the organizers never met, that twitter and facebook could not replace those roots, Ghonim says that most of the organizers never met. However, in this report, it says that some of the ground organizers did meet, did scout out protest locations and did hand out fliers. More on that later.)

Ghonim says that he was hit. Not by officers, but by simple "soldiers" (I translate that to policeman or security service non-ranking members). He forgives them. They thought that they were the good guys and that he was destabilizing Egypt.

Why did they let him go? Ask Obama, probably. Google also did a massive PR campaign.

Dear Western Governments, you have been supporting the regime that has been oppressing Egyptians for 30 years. We don't need you now. (Ironic, considering the previous comment)

He wants to go back to work at Google, not go into politics, but his life has changed. (For instance, per this twitter, Ghonim and eight others -unidentified - met with two generals to discuss the transition process - based on other twitters, looks like they are going to release "secret files" or as Ghonim says in the interviews "black files" of the regime on people as well as provided list of detainees they expect to be released-standby for update)

Not interested in revenge (kissed the officers who arrested him when released - the kiss of peace). Want the money stolen from Egyptians. People eating from trash, that was their money.

Anchor asks if they really think they can sustain the feelings from Feb 11, the demand for democracy, to create the foundations of Egypt. Ghonim-"That is our responsibility."
They are meeting constantly to come up with ideas and organize to keep the momentum going. Everything they worked to gain need to be capitalized on right now.

All dictators should be freaking out right now.