Editor's note: Several protests stemming at least in part from an anti-Islam film produced in the United States are unfolding outside U.S. embassies around the world. Friday's protests follow ones Tuesday at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, where attacks killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.
In Tunisia, protesters have scaled a U.S. Embassy gate and set fire to cars on the property, a journalist there says. In Egypt, the influential Muslim Brotherhood canceled nationwide protests planned for Friday, but a running battle between police and protesters in Cairo continued into its fourth day.
Follow the live blog below for all of the developments around the world.
[Updated at 3:04 p.m. ET] A ceremony at Maryland's Joint Base Andrews for the returned bodies of the four Americans killed at the Benghazi consulate has ended, and the caskets are being carried to hearses. See the 2:59 and 2:51 p.m. entries for remarks by President Barack Obama, who said the four laid down their lives "in service to us all."
[Updated at 2:59 p.m. ET] President Barack Obama, at a ceremony at Maryland's Joint Base Andrews for the returned bodies of the four Americans killed at the Benghazi consulate, added:
"The United States of America will never retreat from the world. We will never stop working for the dignity and freedom that every (person) deserves. ... That’s the essence of American leadership. ... That was their work in Benghazi, and that is the work we will carry on."
At the beginning and toward the end of his remarks, Obama cited the Bible's John 15:13: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Obama said the four killed Americans laid down their lives "in service to us all."
"Their sacrifice will never be forgotten," Obama said.
[Updated at 2:51 p.m. ET] President Barack Obama, at a ceremony for the returned bodies of the four Americans killed at the Benghazi consulate, is now eulogizing the four at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Ambassador Chris Stevens, Obama said, "was everything America could want in an ambassador."
"Four Americans, four patriots. They loved this country. They chose to serve it, and served it well," Obama said. "They had a mission they believed in. They knew the danger, and they accepted it. They didn't simply embrace the American ideal, they lived it; they embodied it. The courage, the hope, and yes, the idealism - that fundamental American belief that we could leave this world a little better than before."
Ex-SEALs, online gaming maven among Benghazi dead
[Updated at 2:45 p.m. ET] At a ceremony for the returned bodies of the four Americans killed at the Benghazi consulate, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said:
"Today we bring home four Americans who gave their lives for our country and our values. To the families of our fallen colleagues, I offer our most heartfelt condolences and deepest gratitude."
She saluted Sean Smith, a computer expert, as someone known as "an expert on technology by colleagues in Pretoria, Baghdad, Montreal and The Hague."
She hailed ex-Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods as someone who protected diplomatic personnel since 2010 "in dangerous posts" around the world.
"He had the hands of a healer as well as the arms of a warrior, earning distinction as a registered nurse and certified paramedic," Clinton said of Woods.
Clinton also hailed the other ex-Navy SEAL, Glen Doherty. "He, too, died as he lived, serving his country and protecting his colleagues."
Clinton said Stevens, as a diplomat, "won friends for the United States in far-flung places.” She thanked his parents, who were at the ceremony, for the "gift" that Stevens was.
The ceremony was at a hangar at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
[Updated at 2:35 p.m. ET] The ceremony for the returned bodies of the four Americans killed at the Benghazi consulate has begun. A prayer is being offered. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will speak soon, followed by Obama.
[Updated at 2:31 p.m. ET] Marines at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland are removing from a plane the flag-draped caskets of four Americans killed in the consulate attack in Libya, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. The caskets will be placed at a hangar nearby, and President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will give remarks.
[Updated at 2:28 p.m. ET] We're awaiting a ceremony at which U.S. President Barack Obama will honor the arrival of the bodies of of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans killed in the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Penetta have entered the hangar where the ceremony will take place at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
[Updated at 2:22 p.m. ET] Marines will take the caskets off a plane at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will give remarks. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will also be present, Pentagon spokesman George Little said.
People are seated at a facility on the base. The caskets will flank the podium from which Obama and Clinton will speak.
[Updated at 1:41 p.m. ET] Three people were killed and 28 wounded during protests outside the U.S. Embassy in Tunis on Friday, Tunisia state television reported.
[Updated at 1:23 p.m. ET] U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will join Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at this afternoon's "transfer of remains ceremony" marking the return of the remains of the four Americans killed this week in Benghazi, Libya.
Obama and Clinton will deliver brief remarks at the 2:15 p.m. ET ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
[Updated at 1:15 p.m. ET] Here is video from today's protests in Khartoum, Sudan:
[Updated at 12:23 p.m. ET] Nigerian military and police fired shots to disperse a crowd of protesters in the city of Jos, an eyewitness said.
About 2,000 people protesting the anti-Islamic film gathered at a central mosque, and security forces intervened when the crowd started moving toward the city center.
[Updated at 12:15 p.m. ET] Some protesters who scaled the gates of the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia, reached a garden outside the building but have not breached the building itself, journalist Zeid Mhirsi reports.
Also, the thick, black smoke that we previously reported was near the Embassy is coming from burning vehicles on the Embassy grounds, Mhirsi reported.
Earlier, he reported that protesters took down a U.S. flag from a pole at the Embassy and replaced it with a black flag. Police were firing tear gas in an attempt to disperse them. (See 10:20 and 10:42 a.m. entries.) Hard-line Muslims known as Salafists were among the demonstrators, Mhirsi reported.
[Updated at 12:06 p.m. ET] Some Friday protests that hadn't yet been mentioned in this blog post:
- In Afghanistan, hundreds of demonstrators in the eastern Nangarhar province burned a U.S. flag and chanted "Death to America" and "We condemn the film." The demonstration lasted about an hour and ended peacefully, a local official said. The Afghan government has ordered an indefinite block of YouTube to prevent people there from watching the clips and staging violent protests.
- In Baghdad, Iraq, hundreds of followers of the radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr chanted "No to America, no to Israel."
- In Jerusalem, Palestinians marched from the al-Aqsa mosque toward the U.S. Consulate, but were prevented from reaching the mission by Israeli riot forces.
- In Syria, hundreds gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Damascus. Protesters waved placards that condemned the film and blamed the U.S. administration for allowing the production and broadcast of it, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency.
- In Iran, the Islamic Propagation Coordination Council called for nationwide rallies Friday to protest the film and what it is calling a U.S.-backed plot against Muslims, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
[Updated at 11:57 a.m. ET] An update on Friday's protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan: Journalist Isma'il Kushkush says no protesters have been able to get inside the compound, and that police and security forces appear to have the situation under control.
Small fires are burning nearby. Kushkush said he believes protesters set tires ablaze. For more on the Khartoum protests, including one at the German Embassy there, see the 9:54 and 8:42 a.m. entries.
[Updated at 11:52 a.m. ET] Ninety-three protesters have been arrested in Egypt since Thursday night, Egyptian Interior Ministry spokesman Alaa Mahmoud said. Forty-eight officers have been injured, he added.
[Updated at 11:40 a.m. ET] Protesters in southern India have been arrested on suspicion of throwing rocks at the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, the city police commissioner said. As many as 200 protesters were demonstrating in front of the building, but the number arrested was not reported. There were no reported injuries.
[Updated at 10:57 a.m. ET] Video from Tunisia's capital shows thick, black smoke rising from an area near the U.S. Embassy. It's not clear what was on fire.
Protesters there had taken down a U.S. flag from the embassy property and replaced it with a black flag, journalist Zeid Mhirsi reported. Police fired tear gas at protesters as some of them climbed the property's walls.
[Updated at 10:42 a.m. ET] Protesters have taken down a U.S. flag from a pole at the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia, and replaced it with a black flag, journalist Zeid Mhirsi reports.
Earlier, Mhirsi reported protesters were climbing the building's gates, and police fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse them. (See 10:20 a.m. entry.) Hard-line Muslims known as Salafists were among the demonstrators, Mhirsi reported.
[Updated at 10:25 a.m. ET] A U.S. Marine Corps security team is being sent to help protect U.S. diplomatic installations in Yemen, including the Embassy in Saana, a senior U.S. official said, according to CNN's Barbara Starr.
Earlier today, Yemeni police opened fire to stop protesters from reaching the U.S. Embassy in Saana, witnesses said (see 7:31 a.m. entry).
The protection team is similar to the team of 50 Marines that was sent earlier this this week to Tripoli, Libya, in the wake of the attack in Benghazi.
[Updated at 10:20 a.m. ET] Protesters are climbing the gates of the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia, and police have fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse them, journalist Zeid Mhirsi reports.
Some protesters, who are about 20 meters outside the U.S. Embassy gates, are throwing rocks at the police, Mhirsi says. He says
that some protesters are waving black flags as they attempt to vandalize the gates.
[Updated at 10:15 a.m. ET] U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to receive the remains of the U.S. diplomats killed in Libya at Andrews Air Force Base at 2 p.m. ET Friday.
[Updated at 10:13 a.m. ET] Add Tunisia to the list of Friday's protests. Hundreds of protesters have left Friday prayers and are heading to the U.S. Embassy in a neighborhood in Tunis, journalist Zeid Mhirsi reported. There is a strong Tunisian police presence in the area.
Hard-line Muslims known as Salafists were among the demonstrators, who were in pickup trucks and on foot.
[Updated at 9:54 a.m. ET] Ron Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, said that because Friday is a non-work day, most of the staff and Embassy personnel are not there as protesters gather outside the building. As far as security goes, Marines are assigned there, and local police officers were sent there earlier Friday as a precautionary measure, Hawkins said.
Earlier Friday, a fire was set at the vacated German Embassy as protesters gathered there. The protest at the U.S. building so has been peaceful, journalist Isma'il Kamal Kushkush said (see 8:42 a.m. entry).
[Updated at 9:31 a.m. ET] More information from Khartoum, Sudan: Protesters have gathered outside the U.S. Embassy there, a journalist at the scene said. The demonstration is peaceful so far.
Earlier today, protesters in Khartoum set the German Embassy on fire and also rallied outside the nearby UK Embassy (see 8:42 a.m. entry). The German Embassy was vacated before the protests.
[Updated at 9:24 a.m. ET] Lebanon has joined the list of Friday protests. One person was killed by police in Tripoli, Lebanon, after a group of armed men stormed a KFC restaurant amid protests in the city, Lebanese security forces told CNN.
About 40 armed men were spotted among 3,000 protesters, officials said.
Gen. Bassam Ayoubi, of the Lebanese internal security forces, said a group of armed men stormed the KFC and asked people to leave. Ayoubi said that the armed men then set the KFC on fire, at which time police arrived and began to fire at the armed men, killing at least one of them. Twenty-five were injured, he said, but it wasn't clear which of the injured were on which side.
[Updated at 9:09 a.m. ET] The German Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, was vacated before the protest that reportedly has set the building on fire, the German Foreign Ministry said.
The German Foreign Ministry also said that the Sudanese ambassador to Germany has been called in to the German
Foreign Ministry in Berlin to discuss the situation in Khartoum.
Journalist Isma'il Kamal Kushkush told CNN about 30 minutes ago that the German Embassy in Khartoum was on fire after protests against the online anti-Islam video.
[Updated at 9 a.m. ET] An update on protests in Egypt, while we await more information about the burning German Embassy in Sudan:
Fifteen protesters have been injured in Egypt on Friday, according to Dr. Mohamed Sultan, a health ministry spokesman. Most of the injuries were related to inhaling tear gas or getting it into their eyes.
Two hundred twenty-four people have been injured this week in protests in Cairo, 11 of whom have been hospitalized, Sultan said.
On Friday, officers armed with shields and batons, backed by an armored personnel carrier, rushed a group of several hundred protesters shortly after dawn to quell a violent demonstration that had raged through the night in Cairo. After the rush, a smaller number of demonstrators regrouped near the U.S. Embassy across from police lines, and stones and tear-gas canisters once again crossed in the air. Police fired rubber bullets at protesters. The army began constructing a wall of concrete blocks about 10 feet high across the road leading to the embassy.
Hours later, in the afternoon, youths climbed the newly built wall and threw rocks at police, according to eyewitnesses. Security forces fired tear gas and used water cannons to hold off the rioters. But 100 to 200 hundred meters away in Tahrir Square, a few thousand protesters congregated peacefully.
[Updated at 8:42 a.m. ET] The German Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan was on fire Friday after protests against the online anti-Islam video, a journalist on the scene, Isma'il Kamal Kushkush, said. No embassy personnel were believed to be inside.
The UK Foreign Office also says protesters were demonstrating Friday outside its embassy, next to the German Embassy, in Khartoum.
[Updated at 8:35 a.m. ET] U.S. embassies aren't the only Western diplomatic posts facing protests on Friday. Protests have been reported outside the UK and German embassies in Khartoum, Sudan.
UK Foreign Office Spokesperson Mandy Heffield confirmed there is an ongoing demonstration outside the British Embassy in Khartoum. Sudanese police are on the scene, Heffield said.
Earlier, a journalist on the scene said thousands of protesters had marched on the German Embassy in Khartoum, and that a few protesters jumped onto the embassy grounds and pulled down the German flag. Riot police fired tear gas, causing the protesters to pull back, the journalist said.
[Updated at 8:30 a.m. ET] Thousands of protesters marched on the German Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, on Friday, as protests against a short online film mocking the Prophet Mohammed swept across the Muslim world, a journalist on the scene said.
A few demonstrators were able to jump into the embassy grounds and pull down the German flag, Isma'il Kamal Kushkush said. Riot police fired tear gas, causing the protesters to pull back. The German Embassy is next to the British Embassy, which did not seem to be the focus of the demonstration.
[Updated at 7:40 a.m. ET] Afghanistan saw its first anti-American protest over the film Friday, as hundreds of demonstrators burned a U.S. flag and chanted "Death to America" and "We condemn the film."
The demonstration in Nangarhar province lasted about an hour and ended peacefully, said Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the governor of the eastern province.
[Posted 7:31 a.m. ET] Yemeni police opened fire Friday to stop protesters from reaching the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, witnesses told CNN.
Meanwhile, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood canceled nationwide demonstrations Friday, except for one in Cairo's Tahrir Square against the controversial film about the Prophet Mohammed, the group said in a Twitter message.
Let's see now. These people are destroying their own countries, their own real estate, and probably their own people. This is hurting the U.,S. how?
Except when they are attacking our embassies – technically, a US embassy is American soil, and an attack can be considered an act of war.
I was born as Muslim in a Majority Muslim country, and I know both Western and Eastern culture well. what the criminals did in Libya is horrible, what happened to those innocents in embassy that had nothing to do with the issue is very heart breaking. my heart aches for the families of those people, its very sad.
I believe in Freedom of speech like every other decent person would, but in the some time I think we should be wise, understanding and responsible about what type of statements we want to make.
do I believe the person who made the Video has the right to make one? sure he does.
do I believe the person who made the video has chosen the right and wise decision to do so? in my opinion not.
do I believe people should get violent over a stupid degrading video? absolutely not and those who commit a crime because of any movie should be responsible for harming anyone.
purposefully degrading, mocking, insulting and disrespecting a religion that is sacred to 2 billion people is not wise.
what many don't realize is that those criminal who have been violent do not represent even 0.01% of the Muslims, and reading absolutely disgusting, rude, racist and prodigious comments toward every Muslim in the world from some here is not right and is not helping for all of us who want to live in peace together.
insulting and disrespecting 2 Billion Muslims for the actions of few criminals is wrong! can you insult every christian in the world if some nut cases do something wrong?? of course not! one example bevrik from norway who killed almost 100 innocent teenagers. because the fact is if 2 billion people are "Killers" as some put it, I don't think any of you would have a chance to type on a computer.
I can clearly see from some comments from some people that they are either very ignorant and don't really know the reality or some are biased toward an organization and they have their own agenda to create hatred to leave very negative and aggressive comments.
but i'm sure there are many people still out there who don't hate and would love to help to bring together Friendship and kindness.
After all we are all people and should try to help each other, love each and try to create a peace and harmony so we can live side by side and enjoy our lives.
so please be wise when you leave a comment and use your common sense! I really hope all this aggression would stop.
and I really hope people stop being so sensitive about religion.
Peace!!
heck, dude, why do you capitalize every noun. I think you are a German imposter, and your mother is a hamster while your father smells of elderberries. Silly French person, go away!
People all over the world mock Christianity every day. You don't see anyone burning flags, setting bombs, torching buildings, or killing each other over it.
^^THIS!
If only many people thought like you, perhaps things would and could work.
My previous comment was to agree with PeaceMaker not what other two posters wrote before me.
Unfortunately, it's the silent majority who will end up paying the price of the radical few.
"Most people forget that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own." Fanatics of virtually any stripe invade and conquer their own first. When they try to take it outside their own borders, that's when we end up with war. The really bad ones. Like the one we're coming up on the 100th anniversary of.
It's not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you. These people have chosen their path. If it's such a small percentage like you say, the majority of Muslim's should be quashing these riots before they happen. Sadly, I feel as though many Muslim's silently feel gratified for these acts... and that belief is predicated on their complacent behavior in the midst of violence! Stand up people.
I wish more muslims would be vocal about peace instead of allowing extremists actions to be the voice of all, and that goes for the same in the US where apparently one extremist view has been taken as a voice of all of us. We must stand strong and say that is the voice of a few, we are the voice of most. Somehow that voice has gotten lost.
@PeaceMaker while I agree with most what you're saying, the fact that this is now happening in 14 countries, with large mobs of people in every case, makes it hard to see as a small isolated group, even if statistically that's true. And the tepidness of the condemnation I've heard about from muslim religious and political leaders seems like a sign that a large population in these countries agrees with the protesters.
Personally I wish these ancient, outdated religions that were created to keep people in line 2000 years ago would evolve or die out – and that includes Christianity. The amount of suffering, guilt, violence and delusion they cause is staggering.
Dude what? Too black? You're as brainwashed as those protesters. The president only sympathized with Muslims throughout the world who were offended. Its called diplomacy. Should we send troops in, get more Americans killed and possibly make the situation worse? Should we tell them "F-YOU! That's how we roll in the U.S." when they already think our government sanctioned the film? Do we prosecute the film maker to appease everyone eventhough he had the right to make the film? Guys like you talk a lot of crap but rarely have a good solution. The best thing we can do is get our embassy people out of that area and let the governments over there deal with the unrest. "Too black to do anything"...you are something else.
brain dead...
Children have adult supervision.
And children don't believe that their forefathers were apes and monkeys.
I think its time we stop all hate against Muslims. They will only get stronger and take over the world. And Jews know that its in their books.
So are religious people the children to which you're referring? They are the ones who believe in holy fairy tales.
If so, I don't get the impression they have much adult supervision.
13th century religion meets the information age. Smack dab.
You hit the nail on the head. Change is not in their nature, but why would they change when the men don't want change as long as their women and children were under their thumb. Change and religion are not good bedfellows. Even some of the most ardent Jewish sects don't want change, many of them oppress their women too. Ah religions, they are great, no? You can get away with a lot when a super being overlord is calling the shots with no way to call them on it.
Or at least a six-pack and some Marlboro cherries. No wonder they are so wound up. Has the military considered bombing them with Adderrall? It can't hurt.
so someone hates KFC.....
Animals, nothing but a bunch of uncivilized animals. Their religious fervor will kill anyone, it doesn't even matter if you are the "guilty" party or not. Filthy religion, full of hate, evil and oppression. With each murder they prove what so many around the planet have been saying. All religions suck but theirs is the cream of the crop.
All Praise Allah and his Womanizing, Pedophile Mohammed!
Kill the unbelievers!
Kill the blasphemers (or anyone you can get your hands on)!
"Rage against anti-Islam film spreads to Africa" It STARTED in Africa, Libya and Egypt ARE in Africa! Do you mean "...spreads THROUGH Africa"?
These violent reactions from certain muslims ,has no justification, just because the film was made in America does not mean it was made by America (a great place that I am proud to be a citizen of) freedom to practice my religion and believes like no other place on earth
America or Americans nothing to do with is movie, this is a set up! And it is really sad that these stupide people are falling for it --
may God Bless the United of america
Maybe it is about time to pull back helping these people they will realize the Value ...
Nice job typing while buttoning up your suicide vest
What do these protests tell you about the Muslim protesters? Are their actions those of a rational person? Are the the acts of a reasonable person? Are they the acts of a religious person? How about a loving, caring, compasionate and forgiving person? Make your own call.
The Middle East would like nice as one giant plate of glass. Time to pay them repeated B-2 visits.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things?
verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone
upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Who cares what he said...he's a make believe being that crazy people worship
You dont think GWB said gave his sympathy and condolences to the families of fallen soldiers? Your trippen, I know he did and he actually signed the letters himself, Not like yourbama and his tacky stamp. no class.
I agree that all this violence should never have happened... and i strongly condemn these killings every where.
Now.. afetr saying this.. can i say few other things too?
do you know that in the last 6 months youtube removed more than 688 videos because upon UK police request?
Do you know more than 300 videos from youtube were remove because american law enforcement agencies asked youtube?
Do you know more than 100 videos of Thailand king where removed from youtube because they seemed to degrade him and it is against the law in thailand to speak against the king.?
German court ordered to remove more than 200 blogs because of different reasons just few months ago.
Now if all those videos can be removed from youtube for different reasons that why not this video that is causing problems in Muslim world?
I know we have Freedom of expression in American but Americans removed the 300+ videos... why cant this video be removed so that Muslims can cool down?
And when we talk about freedom of expression... do you know it is a crime to speak against holocast in almost the entire Europe? punishable upto life sentence?
All my spympathies are with Jewish brothers and sisters on this... But if speaking against holocast is a crime then where is the freedom of expression?
Can any one explain?
All i am saying is that freedom of expression is one thing but there need to be boundries somewhere. If speaking against holocast is a crime.. then there is a boundry and everyone must abide by it.
If Muslims dont like saying these if things against the Prophet then there should be a boundry.
And even if someone does it and Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus.. every one should unite together condemning aginst these acts..not to hide behind freedom of expression.
We need peace in this world. World should be a safe world for all Muslims, all jews, all christians and everyone else.
A few years ago the Bush Admin cut funding to the National Foundation of the Arts for a few reasons, one of which was the financing of an exhibit depicting Christ being urinated upon. The libs went nuts about freedom of expression. If someone wants to do the same to Islam's symbol, as detesting as it may be, we need to allow it. Its going to come to armed retribution one of these days against those who woulod attack the west. If the west through its governments don't take firmer stances, the governed may do that for them.
these people should be slaughtered for burning so many U.S flags