Egypt ‘victim of police brutality’ becomes protest symbol

Middle East Online, June 14, 2010 Khaled Said becomes a Facebook icon Egyptian activists take their protest against police’s beating of Khaled Said to death to social networking websites. By Jailan Zayan – CAIRO A 28-year-old man reportedly beaten to death by police in Egypt’s northern city of Alexandria last week has become the latest symbol of police brutality among tech-savvy Egyptian activists. Posters of Khaled Said have been carried at demonstrations while Facebook groups dedicated to him have been created since he was allegedly dragged from an Internet cafe in front of witnesses and beaten to death in the street. Several Egyptian activists have put Said’s image as their own profile picture on Facebook, and he also has his own hashtag on Twitter. Continues >>