Starting on January 25th, Egypt has been taken by giant demonstrations against a 30 years long dictatorship. Protests started after another dictatorship ended in Tunisia, and are happening also in Algeria, Jordan and Yemen. Two-thirds of 80 million Egyptians are under 30 years old, and this enormous youth is showing its strength.
Holding banners with the picture of young Khaled Said, tortured and murdered by the dictatorship, millions of demonstrators state clearly that Egypt won’t tolerate Hosni Mubarak’s government any longer.
Last Friday, the 28th, one of the biggest protests in the history of Egypt took place. A real democratic revolution is underway. Government used violence to control protests and there are more than 100 killed. But the streets are still taken by thousands of youth and workers, despite the curfew, gas-bombs, tanks and all of the government’s violence.
It is not just the fight for freedom that mobilizes millions of Egyptians. 40% of population lives on less than 2 dollars a day. Unemployment, starvation and misery are also part of people’s anger.
Egypt is very important in that region, besides being the most populous country; Egypt controls the Suez Canal, the key to maintaining the shameful blockade of Gaza. Mubarak is an important ally of imperialism. Just behind Israel, Egypt is the second-country to receive more money from the USA in that area: 2.5 billion dollars. The first US declaration, by Hillary Clinton, assured stability to the country and support to ally Mubarak. Now with mobilizations out of control, Obama talks about democracy as a value and asks for changes. In fact, what decides USA opinion is not its values, but its interests. For decades the US has had an ally in Mubarak’s dictatorship – these declarations now only show how the strength of the protests make Obama wish for a fast way to find stabilization in Egypt.
The young activists and workers from Brazilian social movements entirely support the brave struggle for freedom and better economic conditions that Egyptian workers and youth are fighting right now.
Down with Mubarak’s Dictatorship!
CSP-CONLUTAS is a Trade-union Confederation that works also as an organization for workers, students and other social movements (www.conlutas.org.br).
ANEL (National Student’s Assembly – Free) is a National organization of Brazilian students (http://www.anelivre.blogspot.com/).
