Google has disabled the ability for Nawaat to upload new videos

Update – February 17, 2010: Youtube has restored the rejected video and nawaat’s account. Thank you Google for the understanding and thank you all for the support.

Today we got a message from Youtube informing us that the ability to post new videos on Youtube has been temporarily disabled for violating the YouTube Community Guidelines because of a video deemed “inappropriate.” We are pretty sure that some Tunisian pro-government users have flagged it as inappropriate, even we cannot prove it. This is the message we received:

The following video(s) from your account have been disabled for violating the YouTube Community Guidelines:

Tunise : enfants des zones défavorisées (Nawaat)

While it might not seem fair to say you can’t show something because of what viewers theoretically might do in response, we draw the line at content that’s intended to incite violence or encourage dangerous, illegal activities that have an inherent risk of serious physical harm or death. It’s not okay to post videos showing bad stuff like animal abuse, drug abuse, under-age drinking and smoking, or bomb making. Any depictions like these should be educational or documentary and shouldn’t be designed to help or encourage others to imitate them.

This is the second Community Guidelines warning sanction your account has received within six months. Accordingly, the ability to post new content to YouTube from this account has been disabled and will not return until two weeks after you acknowledge this message. Please review the YouTube Community Guidelines and refrain from further violations, which may result in the termination of your account(s).


Click to enlarge

The video in question (also available on our Posterous page), titled Tunise : enfants des zones défavorisées (Tunisia: Children from disadvantaged areas), shows a groupd of 6 – 7 year old Tunisian kids inhaling glue and talking about why and from where they’re getting the substance. Sniffing glue, which is considered gateway drug, is a very dangerous practice among Tunisian teens and kids from disadvantaged areas and we don’t understand why the video has been found to violate Youtube Terms of Use! Though one can legitimately ask if the video of Neda Agha-Soltan’s death on June 20, 2009 on Youtube was not inappropriate or graphic? Does it not violate Youtube Terms of Use or is it ‘Too Distressing to Ignore‘ as Mashabe described it?

By rejecting our video, which caused the temporary suspension of our account on its platform, Google is banning what is considered to be the first citizen video that tries to document this practice and share it among our fellow citizens and with the world. By publishing it on Youtube and other video-sharing websites, Nawaat is not encouraging drug abuse nor helping others to imitate those poor kids. This is not nawaat’s mission. Nawaat has been launched to help Tunisians and their friends get access to all kind of barred information. We are providing a platform to anyone who wants to express his or her idea freely without censorship or fear. While we are and intend to remain independent of any political party or NGO, we opened our platform as a space to support democracy and protest human rights abuses in our country. One of our goals is to build an anti-propaganda machine against the very sophisticated and quite crafty official Tunisian propaganda. And precisely that rejected video was meant to counter Tunisia’s official discourse on Child protection and health.

It’s worth mentioning here that this is not the first time that Youtube administrators shut down human rights activists accounts because of inappropriate content. In late 2007, our Egyptian friend, blogger and journalist, Wael Abbas, who documents human rights abuses by Egyptian police, temporarily had his Youtube account suspended after publishing the infamous video of an Egyptian bus driver being sodomized with a stick by the Egyptian police officers. Let us also recall that it was thanks to that same video published on Youtube that justice was served and that the two Egyptian torturers were sentenced to three years in jail for sodomizing and torturing the driver.

The irony is that during the Breaking Borders event that was organized by Google in november last year to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of Berlin wall, I answered a question, on how to support online free speech, asked by Rachel Whetstone Vice President, Public Policy and Communications at Google, by saying that Google should not suspend human rights activists accounts like what happened with the aforementioned case of my friend Wael Abbas (I also highlighted the importance of adding https to blogspot blogging platform, a step which I still believe is crucial to help protect the identity of anonymous bloggers under repressive regimes – The video of the panel discussion during the Breaking Borders event is availbale on Google Freedom of Expression@Google YouTube-Channel).

Now that our ability to publish new content on Youtube has been disabled, temporarily, for two weeks, and threatened to be terminated in case we publish another “inappropriate” video (and we certainly will), what are the lessons that we should learn from this incident:

– activist should consider hosting their video materials on Witness’ The HUB, which I believe is a very good alternative to Youtube, as it is a global platform totally dedicated to human rights media.

– activists should host their own content, if they can afford it (we cannot), or publish it on multiple platforms, not only as a long-term backup strategy but as a viral strategy as well. The sword of a sudden suspension of their account can fall at any time, especially if you are not an activist from Iran or China, countries that score high on the Index of what I call the “business of online free speech and digital activism”. Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Mauritania, Libya, etc., are forgotten cases; Unfortunately, we do not attract enough media attention and we won’t, we are not sexy enough, not only for the average online freedom of expression “advocates”, but for the most dedicated ones as well, those self-proclaimed “Meta-activists” and social media gurus! The few good exceptions that are doing their best to raise awareness and support our causes are our only allies who have been at our side in all tragic events. All the rest are a lost case, you cannot rely on them during difficult situations, especially the NGO’s world. Digital activism, Twitter Revolution, Internet equal democracy bullshit, all that hype is only an unprecedented opportunity for raising money, promoting own agenda (political, ideological), building over inflated egos- you name it.

– We, grassroots, self-funded and independent activists and administrators of 100% independent social media and activism projects, urgently need to unpack the unstated motives in NGOs, companies and governments Internet freedom policies, if I may borrow the expression from my friend Ethan Zuckerman in his excellent and eye-opening article. We need to understand, demystify and navigate very carefully this field that starts to be hijacked by some Super-powers, global web 2.0 giants, funders and NGO’s that are using it for their own political, economic and geo-strategic agendas. Internet freedom is a very beautiful and attractive slogan that can hide its worst enemies. And to all our westerns friends who are willing to help us sincerely, please focus on the western companies that are making money by selling censor-wares to our authoritarian regimes. Don’t look only at Nokia/Siemens role in Iran and overlook Secure Computing, Websense, Mcafee and Sisco System roles in Tunisia, Syria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, UAE…

I’m very sorry if my conclusions sound harsh, but how else can one describe this bitterness. The team of Nawaat has been fighting very hard to keep its site and all its online initiatives and projects alive. We have been struggling against censorship, daily hacking and DDos attacks for the last 6 years, since it was blocked few weeks after its launch in 2004. Not only our collective blog and all its mirror websites are blocked, but also all the personal blogs of its administrators are banned and hacked– for more than seven years. Nawaat’s twitter account was the first twitter page to be blocked in Tunisia and so its Posterous numerous pages, its facebook page, Cybversion.org, nawaat’s project that monitors online censorship in Tunsia, Yezzi, the online protest against Ben Ali, blocked then hacked at the 20th occasion of Ben Ali’s rule. Even Youtube and Dailymotion were blocked in Tunisia because of the videos published their by our team.

And while we are not complaining about all the censorship and attacks targeting us, as we are totally aware that these are the consequences of the fight we are waging against the Tunisian regime to win back our freedom of expression, we really don’t want and don’t expect to see this battle front extended to Google services.

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47Comments

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  1. 3
    alyssa

    Dear Sami,
    Alas, as you sadly point out, we’re not sexy enough. But the worst message in my opinion is the contradition between Google’s recent message about their intent to withdraw from China because of Internet hacking of human rights activists (including Chinese) sites by Chinese government, considering it as a major threat to freedom of speech… and their warning to Nawaat which is precisely a human rights and freedom of speech activist, under the disguise of non compliance to Youtube’s guidelines. Now if Google could please explain to me on which side they sit in this power game and if they could decently play open cards.

  2. 4
    Malek K

    excellent post Sami, Unfortunately this is not the first time that we had to deal with Google. At the 2005, online demonstration Yezzi, Google adwords, tried to refuse two ads that had absolutely nothing offensive. The first was: “Ben Ali Yezzi Fock: citizen online demonstration for freedom of expression” and the second: “Yezzi against censorship: Peaceful Online Citizen Action against the dictatorship in Tunisia.» Google considered that” The current Google policy does not promote websites containing “Political content against an individual”.
    After a long explanation email the Adwords service replied that: “We understand your position. However, the reason for refusal is not related to the fact that you are organizing an event. As long as your site and your ads mention the concepts of “dictatorship” and run directly against the person of Ben Ali, we will not be able to approve your campaigns.
    They finally approved the ads but theses exchanges show how Google is torn between the image it wants to give and the supreme interest of money (which is normal for a private company).

  3. 5
    alyssa

    En y regardant un peu plus, il y a plusieurs façons d’envisager le problème, et je ne suis pas sûre qu’on puisse reprocher au service de modération de Google de vouloir adopter une mesure prudentielle dès lors qu’il s’agit d’enfants. Ceci étant, est-ce-que Nawaat a la possibilité de contacter ces mêmes modérateurs afin d’expliquer la raison pour laquelle cette vidéo a été postée, qui est celle de l’information non censurée, et surtout aucun message incitatif. Je pense qu’une fois les choses clarifiées, la vidéo devrait pouvoir retrouver sa place sur Youtube.

  4. 6
    google gone gooey

    nice work google ..

    you sure are showing your ethics….
    some statements about china,tunisia,etc…..
    and yet it is better to protect a dictator
    with aquid than……
    the chineese have a say:
    the more a monkey climbs,the more it shows its
    arse.
    expected from a deracinated crap….
    which is the base of the yanks settlers.
    we know what dictators stand for…
    does any one know what americans stand for
    other than money?…
    …….not bitter
    but hypocrasy gets me.
    a bit of morality would not stray.
    ml australia

  5. 7
    Sami Ben Gharbia

    j’ai contacté des amis à google et ils sont en train de résoudre ce probleme, qui j’esèpre ne se reproduit pas, non seulement contre nawaat, mais aussi contre les activistes utilisant la plateforme Youtube.

  6. 10
    sufia

    l existence de la misere en tunisie est une honte,mais la montrer pour l exploiter contre le gouvernement est tout aussi honteux d autant plus qu on met en scene ces pauvres enfants comme des betes de cirque .Il n y a plus d ethique ,plus de moralite ni d un cote ni de l autre .Je suis ecoeuree d etre tunisienne.shame,ahame,shame…..
    youtube a raison

  7. 11
    Sami Ben Gharbia

    Sufia, je comprends très bien ta colère et même je partage avec toi l’idée que youtube avait raison de l’enlever au premier abord. Je reconnais aussi le fait qu’on aurait du couvrir le visage de ces enfants avant de la publier. Mais, la vidéo avait circulé et circule encore sur facebook d’où on la récupéré. OUi, tu as riaosn, il y a là un sérieux problème d’ethique. Je m’explique:

    Le fait de l’exploiter contre le gouvernement, on peut avoir une opinion différente sur le sujet et je respecte ton opinion. La mienne est qu’il faut toujours affronter la réalité en face. La faire cacher et prétendre que tout va bien, voire même mentir sur ce qui se passe vraiment dans notre société, comme fait le régime tunisien, ne va pas aider du tout à résoudre ce problème. En plus, c’est aussi honteux de cacher de telles pratiques. Seul un débat public ouvert et totalement libre suivi par des mesures gouvernementales peuvent venir à bout de ce fléau.

    Ce que je conteste en fait sur youtube c’est la menace et l’absence d’un quelconque méchanisme de négociation avec les utilisateurs avant le rejet d’une vidéo ou la suspension d’un compte.

    amitiés

  8. 12
    Zbiss Melek

    Undebat public sur tous les problemes,c est le mot juste ,mais la, je viens aujourd hui de regarder la tv 7, et j ai suivi live, les debats au parlement, et la j ai compris que nous sommes dans un etat d apathie politique,melange d hypocresie,une paralysie totale,le ministre de l agriculture aujourd hui est confronte aux deputes , une des question contient deux lignes, le depute, tenant un papier avait de la peine a relire ce qu on lui a dicte,et pourtant les produits d origine agricole ont presque quadruple,viande 15 dinars , lait 4X en hausse vertigineuse,pain a triple depuis 2ans,poissons 30 dinars le kilo,l huile 5dinars,et c est ainsi que la population qui a un smig de 300 dinars vit dans la misere noir ,mais alors attention face a cette deterioration du cout de la vie et cette inflation record,le ministre annonce ,Almoucrouh arriassi,c est le mot miracle,alfanous assihri ,le remde miracle pour tous les problemes en Tunisie, que se soit dans le domaine de l emploi, de l industrie , de la sante, des finances,les taux de credits, les sciences, l energie de substitution, l informatique,la pluie qui va tomber, la chaleur,tous ces sujet ont une solution prepare almachrouh arriyassi.ok,ce projet presidentiel consiste a quoi ? PEUT ON LE DABATRE ENSEMBLE WALLA HOUA KORAN MOUNAZIL MINA ASSAA.ET PUIS EST CE QUE VOUS POUVEZ NOUS DONNER UNE RECETTE, ICI EN DEUTSCHLAND IL Y A BEAUCOUPS DE CHOMMEURS, ET NOUS VOULONS CALQUER VOTRE EXPERIENCE DE LUTTE CONTRE LE CHOMMAGE.

  9. 13
    tunisien

    to sufia:
    pauverty is a sad and ugly reality in tunisia. It s not a shame neither showing these kids is a shame nor using it against the corrupted governement is shamfull.
    People should talk about it. there should be reasons for it everyone have to know.Education about pauverty and the way to change it is not accepted by the goverment bodies.because tunisia is in good shape but for who??
    Tunisia could be 1 of the wealthiest country in africa but your governement is stopping it.
    The only way to reach it is to be governed by an economist not a melitary.
    I, personnaly, and all my friends refuse absolutely to invest any cent in tunisia until ben ali and the rcd are dead,gone gone with no retuen.

  10. 14
    tunisien

    Ben Gharbia:
    The vedeo is terrible,horrible,unthinkable and unbelievable.
    You should not posted.it s shocking.The Vedeo doesn t really show the problem but promote it.Whoever did it is a idiot .He will pay for that as i personally may press charges against him.If you wanna do a documentary you should think about it and plan for it.and be carefull what to say.
    He is asking the kid to say i am happy….
    he is saying to him doing that is happiness??
    he will pay for it even if i have personnaly to act.
    You should send a copy to the police for investigation.
    these kids should be moved away and treated.
    what the fuck is he trying to tell people by this vedeo ???
    you should not publish it before consulting expert first.

    anyway he will pay as soon as i go back to the country.

  11. 17
    google gone gooey

    i did not see the video,butsome chocking stuff
    is not always bad .the awsome communications is
    a tool to jolt our consciousness into action.
    what other means left tothe populace from a turd
    who thinks that his concitoyens are to be treated
    as funges that should be kept in the dark and fed
    shit.he believes we have to pay homage to his
    infinate highness for what he achieved for the
    country.
    the infortunate thing that he is the only one that
    sees it.amusing for a clairevoyant as his press and
    cronies keep shoving into our ears and eyes dailies
    for 23 years.one concession he is not that smart,in
    fact he is copying aprevious despot
    his master.from 1956 till now what changed between
    these 2clowns is supreme combattant to clairvoyant.
    change starts from within .
    wecould do it in a bloody way or resort to pen and
    video and less blood to spill.
    .so much police and secret service protecting a clown
    the nation resources wasted protecting apea brains.
    you have to be tunisian to know how fed up and
    desperate people are becoming.
    we are not simply blaming google,ourselves are in that
    mix of blame.nothing wil happen till we make it happen.
    so long carthage.
    i,m your son thought i left you42 years ago.

  12. 18
    sufia

    j ai ecrit un commentaire que vous n avez pas passe parcequ il n allait pas dans votre sens.Finalement vous n etes pas pour la liberte d expression,vous etes comme la clique au pouvoir,pauvre cytoyen pris entre les corrompus du regime et les dogmatiques de l opposition.Tous les meme.Continuez c omme ca c est le meilleur moyen de vous couper de la population avec laquelle vous n avez deja pas beaucoup de contact.

  13. 22
    tunisien

    to Anonymous:
    why do u wanna know who the fuck i am??
    my name won t mean anything but i hate motherfuckers who distroy others life.It s not acceptable what had been shown in the vedeo.
    I think Sami ben Garbea should be charged to and be responsable for promoting assults agianst kids.it was inaaproriate to publish it.
    freedom of speech has limits and bounderies.
    at the end, my name is slim changed to christian .i live in usa.
    i fucken hate tunisien people as mutch as i hate their motherfucker president.

  14. 23
    BEN YOUSSEF

    To no more tunisien,
    I ll tell u, who u are, u nothing! u no more tunisian, no more muslim, less junk in this country! u ll never be motherFFFFFF…. (as u like to repeat all he time) American also, they ll just enjoy ur big ass in airport s cameras, u ll neither be christian, coz rubbish like urself never have any religion, cheers motherFFFFF…cowboy!

  15. 24
    melek zbiss

    Bravo ya Ben youssef ce Tunisien,s il represente l opposition alors,je ne suis pas un opposant,on dirait qu il est ne dans un bordel toujours il repete Fuck,il est malade celui la, adha moustawa mta Mouardha adha intellectuel, adha un exemple yaktada bihi al ajyal , ahna nourabbi fi jil fassed wa houa Fuck fuck, wallahi raby yahdik ya Sami inti tu donnes une image desolante de l opposition en laissant ce minable vulgaire ecrire dans ce site bien ´sur que les autorites trouvent un pretexte pour censurer nos ecrits, et nos analyses et nos etudes,et nous empeche de dialoguer avec la societe civile , de conscientiser les citoyens , ya Tunisien tu n as pas honte de repeter tout le temps les memes vulgarites de bas niveau ,alors c est quoi la difference entre toi et la flicaille qui n est pas instruite au moins, ils sont pas tous comme toi et des fois ils respectent les gens bien,.Mais tu n as du respect pour personne,encore une fois ya Samy c est ta faute ,mala alech ahna on critique mousalsalet al habita wal dialogue el minhat wal hakir wa alhiwarat assakita , wa iji un minable kima Tunisien yadayi annahou mouaradha et il se comporte de la meme facon de ceux contre lesquels il combat encore une fois bravo ya Ben Youssef de le remettre en place.

  16. 25
    tunisien

    BEN YOUSSEF :
    I have an american passport.My name in the passport is christian.
    It s better to be american As america is the country of choice of choice not birth. I bet 90% of tunisian will do the same if they have the opportunity because of motherfuckers like you who judge people.
    I am not muslin true what s wrong with that. I am christian what swrong with that. even if i become jewish or atheist what s wrong with that. religion is a choice.a personel choice .u are free to worship whatever u want .
    Swearing is a speach .if you believe in freedom of speech like we do in usa there is no issue using it.
    i swear in english nooffence in arabic.so there is no offence to
    anyone.

    motherfuckers is a good word that discribe the politician who throw you out from your own country that you can t return to it.
    so stop being a judge cause you are not.let people talk he way the want.Keep your motherfuckers morals for yourself.
    you wellcome to denounce the ideas but i am free in my language.
    Ben youseff you are no different to the motherfuckers of tunisia politicians and police terrorist.You are sing thee same startegy.

    fuck the others it sonly my way.

    i educate my son to say fuck to the all motherfuckers in tunisia who turn the country to a torture house.

    so stop talking like an Imam cause all the imams in tunisia are motherfuckers .they sold their religion for couple of dollars.
    fuck all the motherfucers in tunisia.
    fuck all the bullshit of people like u
    fuck ben ali fuck his regime.
    fuck all tunisian who shut up and never revolt against the motherfucker ben ali

  17. 26
    BEN YOUSSEF

    Cher Melek Zbiss :
    Vous avez raison, c cette racaille que ce regime totalitaire et policier veut avoir comme opposition, le meme discours, la meme vulgarite que celle que vous allez entendre du (bouliss) du rond point le matin. c ce genre de batards et de bas niveaux qui donnent au regime les raisons pour nous presenter au peuple comme opposition.
    Ce rate doit savoir quelque chose, c que ce regime n a jamais represente (al ourouba) ou l islam, pour que je les denonces, C pas par ce que ce regime est comme tel, que j dois me prendre un autre nom ou une autre religion (avec le respect qe j dois au autres religions), au contraire ca me donne l elan et la force pour combatre pour c valeurs, je suis ARABE, MUSILMAN.
    Je dis a ce (newly converted motherFFF cowboy), tu vas pas comprendre ce qui precede, pour la simple raison, tu n a aucune moralite ou principe. tu n es rien!
    something else MotherFFFFFF cowboy, teach ur son values like freedom and justice, tell him about NASA and Armstrong, let him know Ernest Hemingway and Malcolm X, let him see the shining and beautiful face of America, not the bad represented by u and ur FFFFF…
    Malla moustawa, malla t.hin w guillet din, nattikni rahou ya si melek je m excuses.

  18. 27
    Nawati

    @tunisien:
    I am really amused reading what you are writing! Of course you have the right to express yourself and to do it the way you think its appropriate but you have also to assume the consequences of what you are saying. I would have believed your indignation about the video if you didnt use the vocabulary you used. I would even discuss the issu with you. But the vocabulary you use and the way you are argumenting shows that you are only interested in defaming Mr. Ben Gharbeia who is a honest and has integrity. I bet you cant even make a logical not to mention a juridical argumentation to what you say. You know just repeating the word mother fucker is not really an argumentation. It just shows what you have absorbed and integrated from your chosen country. In fact its an insult to your country of choice if that is what makes an american (saying mother fucker 10 times a day). Think about it! I rather bet this vocabulary has nothing to do with the fact you are american. Its more the reflection of the state of mind you have and which is widespread among our beloved political police agents. I am sorry to say that you are writing nonsens. Why did google and youtube restore the videos then if you are right? I guess the speak a better english than you and me and have enough ressources to evaluate the vide! Is this a new way of political police to harrass human right activists? Your way of procedure remembers me the case of Mr. Boukdhir who was jailed in Tunisia for publishing a video about the contamination of the environement in Tunisia so the tunisian regime sayed he filmed a citizen without his consent. Please try to evolve a little bit. This methods are known to all.

  19. 28
    google gone gooey

    would I? speak the way.the tunisian yank .no,would I write
    that way.no.butI defend his right to express himself any way
    he likes.most tunisians have not grasped the idea that there
    is more than one way to skin a cat,more than one road to
    reach paris,one only of anyoneand that difference makes
    the richness of ideas.Dictaters want only their way,blind
    to anythingelse..that,s what this web site is all about.
    we were berbers,romans,phenisians,arabs,jews,spaniards,vandals,maltees,greeks
    turks,french and many more.lots of different beliefs came and
    gone and yet most think we are only arabs and moslem only.
    that short sightedness of our history make a mockery of how
    we perceive things .
    a message to those who think we are only arabs…onyour camels
    and back to your arabian peninsula
    as for theshow pony debate masqueraded<same record played
    the same artist since23 years agoor since1956,alsosame audience,
    and dogs are barking…the caravan continues….

    from down under…australia

    son of Charthage.ml

  20. 30
    google gone gooey

    I had a dream.
    As i slept in this tropical village in queensland
    Australia.I dreamt that i was back in the craddle
    of an ancient empire with it,s capital Carthage
    I wondered into the house of power and there stood
    a sphinx like figure.
    Clairevoyant as his title or pet given name by his
    many admirers…
    the honorable senor Zibla is some one who understood the need of his people or subjects.the fact that he hardley appears
    in parlement being a clairevont,he foresees the requests of
    deputies representing all corners of his empire.
    These members are grown lazy and unable to think,all they
    have to do is nod,reasoning.
    all that resulted in them becoming fat geeza,capable only of
    generating hot air or nodding their heads at most to pass the
    wishes of honorable Zibla.
    on the country national sport which is exageration,I can smell
    that air this far down in australia.
    their constituancy are so gratefull that i could hear clapping
    when their devine ziblaB.A passes a town near by.

    Thesefat botties or arses on the seats of power:emit an aroma so nauseating since1956 intensifing in1987 or 7th of something
    that the gods fell asleep when reaching Carthageand left the
    locals to the mercy of no one.
    a sudden jolt in my body i woke up in a sweat, the last vision
    being surroundedby tht secret service of zibla all of whom
    playing the mancho against onl y weeny me,but onefurther look
    and in he corner of my eye saw Michelle making toast with vegemite
    spread.oops i said to myself.
    so long Carthage

  21. 31
    anonymous

    @ tunisien: You are showing symptoms of schizophrenia my friend, your comments about the video and your personal standing for police investigation and court charges against whom has filmed this indicate that you are just been too far. I would not be surprised if you were a government official, and now trying to catch up by insulting the regime and OMG! your mother country.
    Now, I fully support Sami Ben Gharbia and there should be no censorship showing the reality of what poverty means in Tunisia, and in other countries not only underdeveloped, but even in your so beloved USA. Dare u now insult America or pretend we are lying?

  22. 32
    tunisien

    Malek:
    I am very healthy emotionly .I have no issue at all.I live overseas and very happy to be.Sami Ben Garbia i have nothing against and i see him as a leader who has a modern open mentality stricly different to tunisian.But that doesn t mean i agree with him or accept all what he publish.The vedeo show kids using bags to get drunk: that s children abuse.The cameramen says to the kid Say ana farhan: means drunk using extreamly harfull drugs is happiness.
    He is not a journalist nor a profesional cameramen.I am sure he is using it as joke.He promote the image of a drunk kid as a joke.
    that s a crime.
    in the other hand,no one doubt poverty in tunisia and its effects on kids.But there should be a better way to show it like kanat HIWAR did .

  23. 34
    tunisien

    @Nawati
    Sami Ben Garbia is a leader and great fighter for the freedom of speech.we are all proud of him.He made a difference.he is not like 90% of the tunisian who eat and sleep. Even the elite of tunisia are no different to the public.

    we spent more than 50 years of taxpayers money in education to produce such ****.we should have people who act and who are able to stand up at schools, uni,press, tv, radio, work, and say no to such dictatorship, no for torture, no for violance, yes for an indepedante court.But that won t happen because tunisian are nothing…..
    they will sell you for cents like ben ali did to many of them.

    anyway, the vedeo is not profosional and doesn t show the poeverty.

    it s stupidly done.The cameramen should be jailed for promoting children abuse.

  24. 35
    tunisien

    @BEN YOUSSEF
    i took anather name cause i love it and it represent my identity.
    i did not choose my name but i have the opportunity now so why not.
    i am christian and christian is a lovely name so why not.
    I hate the regime till death but that s not the cause .
    I hate being a tunisian who eat and sleep.i hate being a tunisian who pray for a motherfucker like ben ali each friday.
    anyway, i don t believe in tunisian and never will.I choose a new community and accepted all their values so back off.

  25. 36
    Nawati

    @tunisien:
    Dear Tunisian, i ll start my comment and response to you with a small hint. Believe me tunisien you are not so different from the majority of the tunisian people. It seems that having not authentic and original identity is one of the most famous properties of the tunisian. This was even known and reported by the arabs who came to tunisia (north africa) in the sixth century. So now compare that fact or observation to your case. You too repudiate your origins and your culture. At the end its your choice but just dont think you are better than the tunisian you denounce. If you were better you would have stayed in tunisia and fight to change things.

    Concerning the video, i want to ask you by whom those children are abused? Isnt the tunisian regime that abuse them? So why dont you denounce the tunisian goverment instead of Sami or the one who filmed them? By the way this video was published before sami added it to nawaats youtube chanel. You are claiming that producer of the film is mocking the children and encouraging them to do so. In fact it seems that you intentionally dont want to mention his indignation about that situation when he sayed la hawla wa la kowata illa billah. You also seem to be not so experienced in spoken tunisian arabic. What you hear in the video are common linguistic construction in the tunisian slang and dont necessarly mean he is encouraging them in anyway. It is also obvious that he is not the one who selled the drugs to them or has anything to do with that since he doesnt know the children (he is asking whether they are brother) and also asking who selled the drugs for them.

    My dear tunisien, I agree with you in only one point. The video causes a small and theoretical ethical issue. And i insist on the adjectives small and theoretical. The point is that those children must give theire consent to filmimg them and publishing the video. And this decision must be done with full knowledge of the consequences. But those children in this situation i bet dont even know their own names. But at the end the right of the individual and his welfare ,i believe, must be below the right and welfare of the group or the society. Also this small formal mistake is done in order to try to solve the bigger Problem and mistake which is of the goverment doing nothing for the people. According to your argumentation we should jail each journalist or person who reveals unconfortable realities and truth? what kind of logic is this? (I know whose logic this is :) ). Yes the cameramen is not a professional and may be not a journalist. But as you sayed the elite (journalists) gave their role away and are not doing it anymore. So we should rather thank this cameraman who instead of fleeing the country and changing his nationality is doing the job with his limited ressources. If you can do it in a more professional, civilized and political correct way you are welcome and everybody will support you. But just stopp practicing the tunisian greatest hobby: talking and talking and doing nothing.

    Best regards

  26. 37
    Nawati

    @Sami:

    C est normal que les videos soient rejetes. Une realite tres simple qu on ne veut pas comprendre est la force du capital. Si les mouvements de droit de l homme ou libirateur ou quelque soi leurs denomination (je crois vous comprenez ce que je veux dire) ne reussissent que lorsqu il y une alliance meme timide entre le capital et ces mouvamce. Je ne veux pas clamer que je suis un savant dans la matiere mais les quelques exemples que je connais ou des droits fondamentales on ete impose il y a toujours eu des alliances avec le capitale. Pensez y! En tunisie ca doit pas etre tres diffecile de trouver de telles personne :). Il y avait meme des capitalistes qui ecrivaient et mettaient des commentaires ici a nawaat car il ont ete trompe par les trabelsis :). Alors cher defenseur de droits de l homme commencer a construire de telles alliances vous avez de bonnes chances car les trabelsis et co sont tellement rapace qu il ne partagerons jamais.

  27. 38
    Tuisian abroad

    Tunisian abroad

    I took a brief glance at the video. The pictures of these poor kids are replicated in every big city and small town in the country. Whenever, I come back from Tunisia; sadness and hopelessness were my companions. On the surface, the country can present a positive image; but when you look underneath, is another story to tell… Also at what cost this slight progress or positive image? The people paid a big sacrifice for it. The Tunisian Diaspora living abroad cannot express itself without being watched and spying on by the thugs working for this mafia (Ben Ali, the trabelsis &co…). For that matter the Tunisian Diaspora is paying dearly. If we do not act now and soon,we will be seeing more poverty in the country. I believe we can reverse the situation if we put our heads and efforts together, and get rid of our selfishness (me first). May be and may be only then we can achieve justice and equality for all our citizens…
    Thank you

  28. 39
    google gone gooey

    from the son of Carthage:in responce to person
    visiting oz for 3months and like to meet me for
    coffee .IT will be my pleasure if you happen
    to come to port douglas give me a buzz..
    a big thank you to Sam Ben GHARBIA and contributers
    to this site and others of similar nature.
    Your effort is a tribute to your ancesters and coutry
    of origine,your caring about it.
    Keep that fire burning as tunisia needs it more than
    ever before .this dirt on top is hard to get rid off
    we have to clean him out with his cronies germs.
    from the bottom of the world thank all
    ml Australia by son of Carthage

  29. 42
    google gone gooey

    If the title is confusing? should we say
    Erection or Election.
    seeing it from the fence 13 000 km away
    I am starting to wonder if I am going troppo?.
    Anything that has a form and visible is made
    of 4 elements and energy or dynamics what we
    call minds.
    The minds are of opposite and neutral exp:hate,
    love,anger,equanimity,callou
    s,compassion,lust…..
    The lust is the most p owerfull,the weaker is
    wisdom mind and wich we have least develooped.
    Lust a p owerfull drive or a conduit to
    regenarate our species.
    Where does viagra stand in all of this?
    a tool to extend pleasure or a reproductive
    aide de camp
    Back to the TN cup where the storm is brewing
    Would viagra put a halt to the decline of the
    CARTHAGO TN HUMANO ZAPPIEN?
    What happens when our number is decimated and
    we cannot find cheap police,security thugs
    to protect leader Z,QUEEN L<future leader SON.
    More important no workers< cheap one to our
    glorious industrialist clan proche side of
    the female of pouvoir.
    night mare scenario for a thriving Empire
    being built since changement 87 a november
    vision.
    What our rive nord would say,let alone south and west?.
    then the positive flashes into the front of my eyes.<>. we do not need new shools,unemployment would
    not exist,no need for new housing,no new borrowing from
    world bank,I M F would not dictate how we ran our
    economy,we don,t have to be polite toGadaafi totake 100
    from our unemployed.
    Then my sweat started to subside,looked down the tent
    in my pant,it seems as if has been blown away by a
    sirocco or maby the viagra tablet wear itself out.
    I stopped thumping the key board,I lost my drive,
    two options left for me take another viagra tablet
    or leave the computer key alone>.
    so long from son of Carthage ml australia

  30. 43
    google gone gooey

    I seem to have an allergy,recently diagnosed
    as:B or letter B rejejection by body and mind.
    That is good news he said but I have bad one
    no cure,we don,t even know where to start.
    It took a while for me to come to terms but
    I am determined to eradicate it from my system.
    One of the wise people suggested: that I should
    consult unorthodox methods,such as accapunchure
    or dream interpretation.
    I opted for both.the second by that dream interpretation
    I mean was more appropriate,made sense,also gave me piece of
    mind. The diagnostic or treatment explained to me as
    fellow.lots of your native compatiots suffer the same.
    That anxiety B1 ,B2,B3.
    then he proceeded by asking me who is you current head
    of state,I replied B A.
    Then he asked who was before him,I replied Bouguiba,and
    before was bey,bey,bey,bey……
    There you go all your compatriotes are allergetic to B/
    I got the picture B1, B2, B3 are explained,He suggested
    time will wipe them away…
    Hope soon for the last one.

    son of Carthage ml Australia

  31. 44
    tunisien

    tunisian should start acting rather than only talking.
    Informimg the public is the first step ,however it s time to move for a revolution from the south to the north, from the west to trhe east of tunisia.we have to push the dictatorship to resign.The only way is by a massive protest leaded carefully and smartly .

  32. 45
    tunisien

    To all readers:
    I am urging all readers to set up a trust fund for these kids and help them growing in a healthy enviroment.We should support them to be educated.so they have the power to establish a living and be an active part of the community.
    lets start acting and stop talking 2 mutch.the regime won t do anything we all know that.so it s up to us to act and do something constractive for them.

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