Anderson Cooper: Egyptian Government Has 'Blood On Their Hands,' Is Lying (VIDEO)

Anderson Cooper savaged the Egyptian government on his Monday show, saying that President Hosni Mubarak's regime has blood on its hands and is lying to the world about its actions.

It was Cooper's first show since he returned from Egypt after a week in which he was attacked twice by supporters of Mubarak, and he didn't hold back.

Cooper began by noting that nearly 300 people have been killed in Egypt since the uprising began.

"That is the truth of the Mubarak regime," he said. "They have blood on their hands...are they really going to change for themselves?" He also said he would expose the "lies" of the government. The word, he said, was "one we rarely use...but we can't think of another word right now to describe what the Egyptian government has been saying, because what they have been saying is the direct opposite of what they have been doing."

As examples, Cooper said that, while the government has claimed to be reaching out to the opposition, "his secret police were still arresting opposition figures." He also said that, while the Egyptian government has denied being involved in the violence directed at protesters, the Egyptian military had been conspicuously slow to react to the targeting of demonstrators by pro-Mubarak forces.

"This is a police state," Cooper concluded.

WATCH:

Comments

[YankeeCanuck]

05:19 PM on 02/10/2011

Straight-on commentary. An excellent job of journalism--which is pretty rare these days.

[detroitblkmale30]

11:17 PM on 02/10/2011

I was struck differently by it.. was he reporting or was he commentating. As a reporter it seemed far too personal and emotional, seemingly less professional and more opinion-oriented. Although obviously he had circumstances bringing that on from being attacked. He didnt say anythng untrue to be certain.

[YankeeCanuck]

11:39 PM on 02/10/2011

Here is an interview with a very articulate Egyptian woman, a few days ago.It covers a lot of ground. It was shot on a small videorecorder, to avoid attention.The videographer described it as a life-changing experience--he happened to be in Cairo, but went out and got interviews. So, see for yourself if Cooper has described the feeling of the people accurately:
http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=J5dqe8BPQ­V0”

[Eyeheartfreedumb]

04:52 PM on 02/10/2011

He could have been talking about america.
When is someone going to have the chutzpa to tell the truth about america?

[tresluv]

09:27 AM on 02/10/2011

Thank you Anderson Cooper for demonstrating that courageous, truthful journalism isn't dead. I hope you don't lose your job.

[Hastings]

04:55 AM on 02/10/2011

Anderson Cooper has himself become part of the story and should be pulled by CNN from reporting on this news event. He can offer editorial comments but should not be allowed to be part of any reporting on Egypt. I think it would be a good idea for CNN to require Mr. Cooper to take a month off from his show.

[YankeeCanuck]

05:10 PM on 02/10/2011

What a hoot.

[YankeeCanuck]

05:20 PM on 02/10/2011

Now, that makes no sense, whatsoever. His report was accurate and informed.

[Progressives-Unite]

04:00 AM on 02/10/2011

Mubarek 100% backed by US foreign policy which is wrong 100% of the time.

[forbiddenplanet]

10:56 AM on 02/10/2011

Another progressive comment that says nothing. Look around at other comments for inspiration will you...

[Jason Vaysberg]

03:11 AM on 02/10/2011

I wish the media was this truthful and straightforward when Bush went to war in Iraq... Thank you to Anderson Cooper!

[fromdnorth]

10:18 PM on 02/09/2011

Quit whining... Israel has no problem with him...

[dzent1]

02:02 AM on 02/10/2011

That says it all.

[Gordon Soderberg]

07:51 PM on 02/09/2011

He should try to "Protest like an Egyptian" in the United States lets see how he feels about his own police and government then. Toss a rock at a cop here and you get shot. Period!

[dzent1]

02:03 AM on 02/10/2011

Some of us don't see that as a positive.

[fromdnorth]

09:21 AM on 02/10/2011

G20?

[Dr Confuso]

07:46 PM on 02/09/2011

Another Bad Man, whom we support because of oil and military reasons.

[The King Elroy]

11:20 PM on 02/09/2011

What oil?

[Eyeheartfreedumb]

04:44 PM on 02/10/2011

If you're joking my reply is "Exactly, right?"

If you aren't joking my reply is "Oil and Natural Gas are a major part of the Egyptian economy, not to mention control of the Suez Canal is pretty important to the shipping of oil."

[The King Elroy]

11:19 PM on 02/09/2011

Please remember it is a hate crime to beat him up. It's not like beating up Fred down at the tavern.

[wowme]

06:16 PM on 02/09/2011

Only the lies of the egyptian government?

[cjger]

06:10 PM on 02/09/2011

Does anyone else have the uneasy feeling that the same economic factors that motivated this rebellion in Egypt are present here? I am speaking about the corporate welfare, the disparity in wealth, the unemployed and underemployed, and the lack of response to problems of the underclasses by those in the corporate ownership class. In short, class warfare.

[SaveWillowpark]

03:01 AM on 02/10/2011

I see similarities. I also see the people awakening in our country. The trick will be all of us realizing that getting angry with one-another is just a distraction. The conspiracy theories, the hype, we need to turn away from that so that we can work together before it gets to the point that it did in Egypt. It is encouraging that the extension of the patriot act failed...

[grumpy2]

02:38 PM on 02/10/2011

I have noticed the remarkable simularities,we have been robbed but what happens?The rich get tax breaks! No, I will not vote for Obama again, he's protecting the thiefs just to "get along", makes me sick.

[Captain Haddock]

05:43 PM on 02/09/2011

Click link for a good read about Egypt's crony culture of corruption that has lead to this crisis:
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/insidestory/2011/02/201128111236245847.html#
Corruption wasn't just something that happened within the system. It was (is!) the system itself.

[Captain Haddock]

05:40 PM on 02/09/2011

I've had ambivalent feelings for A. Cooper - mostly, just regarded him as part of the machine. But sometimes, (metaphysically speaking) the right beating at the right time can really wake someone up. He has the motivation and the platform now to really make a difference - he must keep speaking out on the Mubarak regime's lies, relentlessly. Most of the MSM would just regurgitate the regime's talking points otherwise, keeping the emphasis on what's best for Israel and the USA, without properly covering the crimes of the regime. Over 300 DEAD (probably far more) and countless thousands beaten, brutalized, arrested - and somehow the torturer-in-chief Soilyman and dangerous fossil Mubarak are the "only" human beings that can provide"stability"?

[BraveWarrior]

03:36 PM on 02/10/2011

The myth of the 'good guy' Army is being shattered as the shock troops arrest and punish protesters leaving the square. Having so many protesters kidnapped, detained and punished seems like ample grounds to cut our subsidies to the Egyptian military. Obviously the Army is the enforcement wing of the Mubarak regime. Hardly surprising since the 1st military man Nasser overthrew the monarchy and assumed leadership. Followed by field officers Sadat, Mubarak and Suleiman. The government is run and controlled by the Army. It is this institution that has protected and perpetuated the regime. Of course it is directly controlled by the US. The regime and officer corps are headed by WWII veterans and reflects the generation gap between the ruling elites and their under 25 y/o majority. Would the Army, including their movement sympathizing young soldiers, follow orders to create a Tienamen Square type of repression? Can the ossified regime expect loyalty and the betrayal of the people's aspirations for a future, without arbitrary arrests and beatings by the secret police? Would a massive program of repression split the military and risk civil war? What impact on the Arab street if massive repression was excused and tolerated by the Obama gov't and the West? Not only is the regime at risk, but the assorted allies we support in the ME, and the legitimacy of our foreign policy. How soon before some emotional media type starts explaining and denouncing our own gov't's lies?

[hopefull2008]

03:37 PM on 02/09/2011

Over the next few days, I think this rant will get dubbed and subtitled and will have a huge impact around the world. Take a bow, Mr Cooper.

[SaveWillowpark]

03:02 AM on 02/10/2011

I agree, good job Mr. Cooper!

[BraveWarrior]

03:38 PM on 02/10/2011

X2