An international appeal for solidarity has gone out today as tens of thousands of Egyptians face brutal repression in the streets of Cairo. Riot police and army forces attacked protestors after mass demonstrations calling for an end to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces' military rule.
The Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions issued a call on Saturday 19 November to its 1.4 million members in affiliated unions to join the protests in Tahrir Square. The protestors are fighting for the future of the revolution.
Solidarity protests have already been called in Britain, Ireland, Canada, Sweden and Germany.
Sameh Naguib, a revolutionary socialist in Egypt, spoke to Socialist Worker from the square late on Sunday.
He said, "The world is on fire here tonight. The police have been killing people and parts of Tahrir are in flames. There were around 100,000 people in the square this afternoon, and tens of thousands protesting in Alexandria, Suez, Aswan, Damietta and other cities across Egypt.
“Three people were killed today in Tahrir, and certainly there are more across Egypt now. There are 1,000 injured. We are drowning in tear gas. It burns the skin and the police have been shooting canisters at people's faces.
“They are firing rubber bullets straight into people's faces and many have lost their sight. And they are attacking us with water cannon. A few hours ago it looked as if there would be a bloodbath, but then the police suddenly withdrew from the square.
“The ferocity of the state has really transformed the situation. The degree of violence has enraged people. We are confident this will translate into workers' strikes.
“Thousands and thousands of young people have streamed into Tahrir in response to police attacks chanting ‘We want to get rid of Marshal Tantawi and to put him on trial’.” Field Marshal Mohammed Hussain Tantawi is head of the Supreme Council.
Sameh says that urgent international solidarity is vital for the future of the revolution.
Demonstrations are now being organised outside Egyptian embassies across the world. In London Egyptian activists have called a protest every night this week, 5-7pm, Egyptian Embassy, 26 South Street, W1K 1DW
On Tuesday there will be a special mobilisation for students and trade unionists—bring banners.
For details of other solidarity actions http://menasolidaritynetwork.com
www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132162413560088¬if_t=event_invite
Reposted from Socialist Worker
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Socialist Equality Party analysis of Egypt uprising
Renewed uprising signals turning point in Egyptian revolution
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/nov2011/pers-n22.shtml
Socialist Equality Party analysis of Egypt uprising
Renewed uprising signals turning point in Egyptian revolution
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/nov2011/pers-n22.shtml
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By AccessNow, from Cairo
The promise of the Egyptian revolution hangs in the balance -- and they need our help urgently. Sign the petition to call on Egypt's SCAF to immediately and unconditionally end emergency law and stop the military trial and detention of civilians, including Alaa Abd El Fattah.
Access is in Tahrir Square. The defiance against the military rule here by the brave people of Egypt is beyond belief. But the violence deepens with more than 30 dead and over 1,000 injured.
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This campaign is one of many we have been running over the last two weeks, and we wanted to keep you up to date with the successes (and some of the challenges) we've experienced together as our global Access movement for digital freedom begins to take form.
Stop Syrian surveillance
Access has been busy putting pressure on four Western companies alleged to be doing business with the Syrian government.
In 48 hours, nearly 11,000 people from over 100 countries called on the CEOs of Area, NetApp, Qosmos, and Utimaco to immediately and permanently withdraw their operations in Syria and ensure that their technology is not used there.
And they have responded. Qosmos has officially backed out; Utimaco/Sophos has halted all business with Area until an investigation is completed; NetApp condemned the use of their technology in a statement during their quarterly earnings call and is investigating the allegations; and Area announced that work has been 'suspended'. In addition, three Access members were directly involved in pressuring these CEOs and elicited personal responses.
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SOPA - Stop Online Piracy Act
It’s not just overseas that the internet is under attack. The U.S. Congress is currently considering taking up the dangerously restrictive and overtly industry-friendly Stop Online Piracy Act.
Access, along with over 70 international civil society and human rights organizations, weighed in by writing to Congress and demanding them to reject this measure. To read more about the widespread opposition to SOPA, go here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/15/sopa_versus_everybody/. To read our letter, go here: https://www.accessnow.org/sopa-letter
DigiNotar - The Weakest Link in the Chain
The very security of the internet is also threatened. All secure web communications, including e-Commerce, the financial sector, health care systems, and social networks, rely on the SSL Certificate Authority (CA) System. SSL verifies trust in a confidential transaction, and relies on third parties, called Certificate Authorities, which manage this trustworthiness.
There have been numerous security breaches in 2011, but the compromise of DigiNotar, a Dutch CA with a market share of just 0.016%, shows the widespread effect these weaknesses present. In the Digitnotar case, valid SSL certificates were issued to parties not associated with the institutions and organizations listed on the certificates for over 500 websites. In response, Access has released:
"The Weakest Link in the Chain: Vulnerabilities in the SSL Certificate Authority System and What Should be Done About Them."
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This policy brief not only examines the seriously alarming problems with the current system, but also proposes several practical policy recommendations on how to shore up the security of the SSL CA cryptosystem.
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