Freedom for Egypt! PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 03 February 2011 19:00
Inspired by a revolution that ousted the hated Ben Ali regime in Tunisia, the people of Egypt have taken to the streets in their tens of thousands to demand an end to the rule of dictator Hosni Mubarak. The regime responded to the demonstrations with repression and violence – blocking the internet and mobile phone services as riot police were set loose to kill more than 100 people with tear gas, batons and bullets on Friday the 28th of January. But the demonstrators refused to be silenced and continued to face off with police throughout the night, in defiance of the regime’s official curfew. When the sun rose the next morning, the police were gone. They were ‘replaced’ with the army, who fraternized with the protesters - shaking hands with demonstrators and accepting flowers instead of shooting them.

Revolution around the world

The protests in Egypt have been anything but sudden. Social conditions have deteriorated as the elite enriched itself. In Egypt unemployment runs at 14% and university graduates find it impossible to secure a job. The global economic crisis has led to sharp increases in the cost of living. What’s more, the revolutions in Tunisia and now in Egypt are inspiring thousands of people in the rest of the region to mount their own resistance. Waves of protest have struck Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan and the Sudan. Prior to the North African revolutions, a giant strike movement engulfed much of Europe, where substantial portions of the working class has North African roots. They could strike again.
But these revolutions and protests are not events far away. In New Zealand too, we have a crisis. Here too, we have increased unemployment. Here too, food prices are rising. Even while our rulers allow us to vote, here too we have an elite and the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. John Key has given his support to Mubarak. It’s time he left too! Join the revolution!

Public Meeting

Thursday 7:00pm
Otago University Link
(outside the Central Library)