Sharm Attack Hits Democracy Movement

After the brutal handling of demonstrators in Cairo on Saturday, opposition leaders say the attack in Sharm El-Sheik has backlashed on the movement towards democracy.

"I think today is a turning point in the regime's attitude. They
became very aggressive again just when we thought they were softening up. I think they want to crush the democracy movement but they can't," Kefaya spokesman George Ishak told AFP.

"In a country like Egypt, the attacks in Sharm el-Sheikh are a license for the regime to be violent against whoever they wish in the name of the war on terrorism," said Khaled el-Sawy, a famous Egyptian actor and Kefaya supporter.

Analyst Nabil Abdel Fattah said the government is no longer worried about television channels broadcasting pictures of pro-government men beating protesters in the street.

The government "feels American pressure is easing up in return for its supporting the American policy in the region and bolstering (U.S.) legitimacy in Iraq."