TRIPOLI — Protestors calling for Prime Minister Ali Zidan to be toppled, and disappointed by the low turnout at their demonstration outside the General National Congress (GNC) Wednesday, claimed that Zidan had orchestrated another protest to sabotage their rally. Some ten war-wounded, claiming to be from Ajdabiya and demanding treatment abroad, broke into the Congress hall, forcing the GNC to suspend its sitting, and damaging furniture. They left after negotiations with the Libyan Revolutionaries Operations Room (LROR) which Zidan has accused of being behind his kidnapping. The anti-Zidan protestors, however, said the incident with the war-wounded had been orchestrated by Zidan and implemented by the head of the self-proclaimed Cyrenaica Council's political bureau, Ibrahim Jedhran, to ruin their demonstration. Despite being well-advertised and expected to attract a large crowd, only around 25 people actually turned up for the protest.
Jedhran's office in Ajdabiya has denied that he organized the dispatch of war-wounded to Tripoli. There were also claims on Twitter that the head of Ajdabiya's Injured People Society had also said that none of the town's injured revolutionaries had left for Tripoli. In the capital, a well-equipped tent, with laptops and refreshments, has been erected just outside the main gate of the GNC and the protestors say they will remain there until Zidan leaves office. The tent was decorated with banners, one which said: “Zidan = Jedhran = Naji = bribe.” They also claimed to have collected the signatures of some 500 people who say they are against Zidan's government. Passing motorists, however, seemed less than interested in the small protest, with many winding up their windows to prevent being handed flyers. Congresswoman Amina Mahjoub, Justice and Construction Party member from Sorman, joined the protest. “The problem is Zidan himself,” she told the Libya Herald, pointing out that there was no security, no defense, no army and no police. “What is the obstacle for Zidan to rebuild these security forces?” she asked. “He has the budget and the support from the decision makers.” She added that 133 GNC members were ready to give a vote of no confidence to Zidan before his abduction. She described his abduction as being like a play that Zidan himself had orchestrated. Another Congress member, Mohamed Al-Kilani, implicated on Sunday by Zidan in his kidnap on Oct. 10, gave the protesters a wave of encouragement as he walked past. — Libya Herald
