The jailing of Al-Jazeera journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed by an Egyptian court is an indictment of Egypt’s so-called justice system. The trio were found guilty in late June of tarnishing Egypt’s image through their reporting of events in the country. They have been…
Category: Egypt
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Another complex revolution
Luke Cooper traces the Ukrainian movement’s origins in the ‘city square’ movements – and looks at its potential to go from protest to power It is easily forgotten that the inspiration for the wave of ‘city square’ movements that swept […]
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The Egyptian people are waging a great struggle in the face of great dangers
Over the past week the people of Egypt have been in the streets and waging a struggle that has assumed truly extraordinary dimensions. They have met austerity and repression with a mass heroism that people everywhere can learn from. The crowds that filled Cairo’s Tahrir Square and staged huge demonstrations across the country created the conditions for the end of the Morsi regime and pushed forward the national democratic process.
The movement that has filled the streets and squares of Egypt this past week is a continuation of the movement that broke out Jan. 25, 2011 and toppled the hated U.S.-backed dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak.
Despite these accomplishments, the movement of the Egyptian people now faces real challenges. It is a fact: President Morsi was removed from power by the Egyptian military. Was it in the context of a powerful mass movement demanding change? Sure, no doubt about that. It is also the case, at least for the short term, that the removal of Morsi via a coup, the suspension of the constitution, the ending of parliament and other measures taken against the Muslim Brotherhood, will strengthen the hand of the military – the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces – in the struggle between different factions of Egypt’s elite.
The strengthened role for military presents a real set of problems for the Egyptian people. The most important being that Egypt’s military is closely linked with the U.S. and it could care less about the national or class interests of the Egyptian people in particular or the Arab peoples in general. The military was the author of the shameful treaty with Israel that strengthened the Zionist occupation of Palestine. Its collaboration with Israel continues right up to today. Many of its ranking officers have been trained in the U.S. Second to Israel, Egypt received $1.3 billion in military assistance last year from the U.S.
While the White House has ordered a review of the aid to Egypt – because U.S. law forbids assistance to governments that come to power via coups – it is worth noting that the administration is being careful not to say the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces carried out a coup.
Progressives in the U.S. should extend their solidarity to the people of Egypt. Across the Middle East, from Syria, to Palestine, to Yemen, Lebanon and Bahrain, people are resisting imperialism, Zionism and reaction of all kinds. They deserve our support. We demand an end to all U.S. aid to reactionary regimes in the Middle East, including Israel, and support the right of the Arab peoples to determine their own destiny.
Victory to the struggle of the Egyptian people!
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Egyptian Communist Party: Long live the struggle of the Egyptian people
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Egyptian Communist Party:
Egyptian Communist Party: Morsi’s speech hammers the last nail in the coffin of his regime and his group
The recent speech of (President) Morsi came shortly before the expiration of the forty-eight hours ultimatum indicating the size of disregard and lack of respect, if not hostility, of this man and his group towards all classes and sects of the Egyptian people who massively took to the streets in the thirtieth of June, unanimously in an unprecedented popular rising with unrivaled numbers. He set aside the Egyptians’ hope for a peaceful and smooth transition of power as demanded by these masses in by far the biggest revolution of human history, as witnessed by all observers and analysts.
He refused to respond to any of the demands of these masses and decided to hold fast to power and even being ready to die for power.
Perhaps, the word much repeated in this inauspicious speech was “LEGITIMACY” (198 times), but no one knows which meaning of legitimacy he meant!!
Does it mean that his being free to destroy the country’s economy, cracking down on its institutions, detracting its sovereignty and sabotaging its national unity?
Does it mean he stays roosting on the heart of the homeland, although he was completely rejected?
The source of legitimacy is the people; all institutions of the state derive their legitimacy from the will of this people. It was clear the size and extant of its strength. In addition, this popular will, which is the essence of democracy and source of any legitimacy, only asked for an absolutely true democratic constitutional demand, i.e., holding early presidential elections, a tradition well known in all democratic experiences.
This speech, in fact, was not directed to the Egyptian people, as they are no longer a concern of his. It was directed to his people and family of terrorists and their supporters to push them into more bloodshed of Egyptians, depending on what he thought of their numerical power and old terrorist expertise.
As for his being supported by the U.S. or any other foreign powers for his existence – stressing his betrayal and infidelity of his country – he was disappointed because no one could ever stand in the face of the people, no matter what strength he might have. This people would never accept a ruler who rejects them no matter who stood behind him and supported him. No one in the world can accept to deal with a ruler rejected by his own people, regardless of his importance.
We hold Morsi and his group responsible for any violence and any Egyptian blood shed or would be shed and reaffirm that they will pay dearly thereof. This blood shall increase Egyptians’ insistence to continue revolution till they get rid of them.
Therefore, our party calls the hero masses of the Egyptian people to continue demonstrations in streets and squares, and immediately start comprehensive disobedience, besieging all centers of government including ministries, bureaus of governorates, councils of cities and municipalities etc. as this is the only way to eliminate all maneuvers and compromises that can empty the popular revolution of its content.
Long live the struggle of the Egyptian people!!!
Long live the Revolution!!!
Death to terrorists, enemies of the people, enemies of life!!!
The Egyptian Communist Party Wednesday morning, 03.07.2013