Unaligned with the west Mugabe’s oppression of Zimbabwe is common news fodder, global investors are waiting in the wings to do deals with a new administration, to implement further shocks and profit from opening up Zimbabwe, frying pan…fire. The reason Mubarak’s similar repressions go unremarked is because Egypt is aligned with the empire, second biggest recipient of US money after Israel, and because the repression is in order to inflict a neo-liberal economy where the rich will profit more than ever and poverty will overwhelm the people. America also needs Egypt to help maintain its sphere of influence over that lovely, lovely oil rich region. The news of resistance and the merciless attacks on strikers and organisers, the infiltration by secret police, intimidation, arrest and torture is confined to less corporate news sources. Great coverage at 3arabawy, constant updating and pictures, some excerpts (for full context and links visit 3arabawy)-
Egyptian security forces arrested over one hundred opposition activists across the country, seriously injured another eighty protesting residents and workers in the city of Al-Mahalla, and reportedly killed two of these locals while putting down this protest – all this on April 6 – the day on which a general strike and popular protests were planned against the sky-rocketing prices of commodities and services.
A statement by the Mahalla-based Afaq Socialist Center provides some details about the events, and accuses Mohamed el-Attar, Sayyed Habib, Magdi Sharif, Faisal Laqousha and Abdel Qader el-Deeb of touring the Ghazl el-Mahalla Company factories on the previous day trying to persuade the workers not to strike…
an “unprecedented campaign of intimidation by the Ministry of Interior, and a vast mobilization of state security,”
I’ve spoken with Kareem el-Beheiri, who’s on the run now… Kareem says hundreds were detained today in Mahalla including minors… Anyone nabbed was abused also by the police. Children were beaten up with sticks, sacks full of rocks, punches, kicks… Lawyers who showed up to defend the detainees were chased by sword-wielding plainclothes police thugs…
Mahalla is under “unofficial” curfew, according to an activist in the city I’ve just spoken with.. The town is occupied entirely by Mubarak’s Central Security Forces who managed to pacify the city by 10pm.. Citizens are instructed by microphones to stay in their homes…
Blogger Mohamed el-Sharqawi was taken from his home by the police to be interrogated at the 6th of October City Prosecution office.. Malek is still locked up in Masr el-Qadima Police Station, though police denies any knowledge of his existence…
I spoke with an activist inside the factory:
“Plainclothes.. Plainclothes.. No uniformed ones inside.. All agents are in plainclothes. State Security, police, thugs.. There are even people from the Mukhabarrat here… All uniformed personnel were withdrawn from the factory and replaced with those plainclothes agents..”Prosecutor ordered the detention of blogger Mohamed el-Sharqawi and Kefaya’s Mohamed el-Ashqar for 15 days pending investigation… A solidarity committee has been set up to support the detainees.. WE NEED DONATIONS FOR THE DETAINEES in Cairo, Mahalla and the other provinces.. If you are in Cairo, just go to the Hisham Mubarak Law Center (1 Souq el-Tawfiqiya St) and see how you can help…
the Mubarak regime in retaliation decided to occupy El-Mahalla complex with security forces, abduct strike committee leaders Kamal El-Faioumy and Tarek Amin, arrest political activists of every political tendency in Cairo and other cities.
Ten Percent 