Funny how some things become “news” in the capitalist press, and some things don’t.
While Reporters Without Borders orchestrates its anti-China campaign of sabotaging the Olympic Torch run in various countries, the struggles of oppressed workers and peasants go unreported.
For example, when 30,000 workers turned out for a “wildcat” strike in Egypt on April 6 and were subject to a “brutal crackdown” by the reactionary neo-liberalist Mubarak regime during which hundreds were injured, hundreds arrested and two (a 9 year old girl and a 20 year old male) were killed, there was nary a whisper in any of the media here in Australia. The Egyptian central security forces used obelisk-gas grenades , gum bullets , electric-shock sticks and live bullets , resulting in hundreds of injuries amongst the demonstrators.
The textile workers in Mahalla Al-Kubra are in the forefront of the struggle of the poor masses of Egypt against rising prices and low wages, while more than one third of the population “survives” with less than 1 Euro per day. Last Sunday 6 April 2008 tens of thousands of demonstrators courageously faced the guns and the batons of the “anti-riot” forces and of paramilitary state gangs.
The Communist Party of Egypt has called upon all progressive, democratic, anti-neoliberal and anti-imperialist forces to express in any way possible their solidarity with the heroic struggle of the Egyptian workers and popular masses. They have requested people throughout the world to consider the organization of protests and to send statements to the Egyptian government with copies to the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights and the Communist Party of Egypt.
While Reporters Without Borders orchestrates its anti-China campaign of sabotaging the Olympic Torch run in various countries, the struggles of oppressed workers and peasants go unreported.
For example, when 30,000 workers turned out for a “wildcat” strike in Egypt on April 6 and were subject to a “brutal crackdown” by the reactionary neo-liberalist Mubarak regime during which hundreds were injured, hundreds arrested and two (a 9 year old girl and a 20 year old male) were killed, there was nary a whisper in any of the media here in Australia. The Egyptian central security forces used obelisk-gas grenades , gum bullets , electric-shock sticks and live bullets , resulting in hundreds of injuries amongst the demonstrators.The textile workers in Mahalla Al-Kubra are in the forefront of the struggle of the poor masses of Egypt against rising prices and low wages, while more than one third of the population “survives” with less than 1 Euro per day. Last Sunday 6 April 2008 tens of thousands of demonstrators courageously faced the guns and the batons of the “anti-riot” forces and of paramilitary state gangs.
The Communist Party of Egypt has called upon all progressive, democratic, anti-neoliberal and anti-imperialist forces to express in any way possible their solidarity with the heroic struggle of the Egyptian workers and popular masses. They have requested people throughout the world to consider the organization of protests and to send statements to the Egyptian government with copies to the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights and the Communist Party of Egypt.Mr Hosni Mubarak, President of Egypt: webmaster@presidency.gov.eg
Dr Ahmed Nazif, Prime Minister: mailto:questions@cabinet.gov.eg?subject=Mail%20to%20Prime%20Minister
Dr Ahmed Nazif, Prime Minister: mailto:questions@cabinet.gov.eg?subject=Mail%20to%20Prime%20Minister
Ministry Of Interior: center@iscmi.gov.eg
Cabinet of Ministers – Fax: +202-2795-8048
Egyptian Organization for Human Rights: eohr@eohr.org
Communist Party of Egypt: cpegypt@gmail.com
Sample letter (cut and paste into emails as above):
Mr Hosni Mubarak,
President of Egypt
Dear Sir,
I am an Australian citizen with a deep appreciation of the outstanding contributions made by the people of Egypt to world civilisation.
I respectfully wish that the living standards and the rights and liberties of the Egyptian people will be further enhanced through their spirit of hard work and sacrifice.
I am, however, profoundly shocked at the news of the brutal suppression of the poor who took part in the April 6, 2008 rally in support of higher wages to combat rising prices.
I fully support the just and fair demands of Ghazl Almahalla workers and their right to choose the means to express their demands such as demonstrations and strikes.
The brutal suppression of the poor severely tarnishes Egypt’s reputation as the nation that stood up to the British and French imperialists in defence of sovereignty over the Suez Canal, and the nation that gave the world the wonder of the Great Pyramids.
Please free the arrested workers and address the issues that they have raised.
(Name and, if appropriate, organisation)
Cabinet of Ministers – Fax: +202-2795-8048
Egyptian Organization for Human Rights: eohr@eohr.org
Communist Party of Egypt: cpegypt@gmail.com
Sample letter (cut and paste into emails as above):
Mr Hosni Mubarak,
President of Egypt
Dear Sir,
I am an Australian citizen with a deep appreciation of the outstanding contributions made by the people of Egypt to world civilisation.
I respectfully wish that the living standards and the rights and liberties of the Egyptian people will be further enhanced through their spirit of hard work and sacrifice.
I am, however, profoundly shocked at the news of the brutal suppression of the poor who took part in the April 6, 2008 rally in support of higher wages to combat rising prices.
I fully support the just and fair demands of Ghazl Almahalla workers and their right to choose the means to express their demands such as demonstrations and strikes.
The brutal suppression of the poor severely tarnishes Egypt’s reputation as the nation that stood up to the British and French imperialists in defence of sovereignty over the Suez Canal, and the nation that gave the world the wonder of the Great Pyramids.
Please free the arrested workers and address the issues that they have raised.
(Name and, if appropriate, organisation)
2 comments:
Apologies for posting this here but the BBC has a piece on Mao badges at -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/in_pictures_chairman_mao_badges/html/1.stm
Well I'm an Egyptian and I have to say this. Ever since the Revolution the Egyptians have been suffering Military dictatorships weather it was Nasser, Sadat, or Mubarak. Mubarak is an eighty years old dictator that ruled the country for about 27 years but no matter his brutality he's just a pawn. Mubarak's job was as any US backed dictator is to keep noisy elite at the top and destroy the majority. In the past five years or so the country was under privatization frenzy. Now as a Law student with an A- or a B you would be either jobless or working in a Mall. There are great industrial cities in Egypt that were made to fix the economy but instead were sold away to American, Saudi, and Canadian business men.
A very important point is that Egypt gets the second highest military loan from America in the world after Israel and before Colombia. This means that anyone threatening Mubarak's iron clutch on the country would be easily eliminated. Everyone is quite aware of that fact so they've learnt to deal with it. Without irony Mubarak "won" 88% of the votes in the last presidential elections and the man that got 7.6%, Ayman Noor, is now in prison.
Egypt has the "Terrorist Law" this means that any police officer regardless his rank can take any citizen in prison for an unlimited time without any rights what so ever. This law was extensively used in the last couple of months. There are also videos on youtube that show a glimpse of Police brutality.
" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxnIz3cWrr0 "
" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwKCYcb4-vw "
In fact the most horrifying story was one of a 12 year old boy. He was "caught" stealing and the police men beat him up so badly, so he can confess that he died and then they threw his dead corpse in front of his mom's house.
Now this all supported by the American government since Egypt is in the Middle of the Middle East. It has the Suez Canal and that's important to America since the military equipments are allowed to pass from the Suez Canal. Also Egypt is Israel's North African neighbor so its government has to always be friendly to Israel and a democracy in Egypt would never be friendly with Israel.
Now this is a summarized view point of why such injustices occur in my country.
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