Resources of resistance posted by lenin

A few excellent new resources for readers of LT. First of all, for those involved in the fightback against the Tories in London, Boris Watch is hopefully going to be a useful source of information. Second of all, for those watching the US electoral train crash and the economic collapse that is sure to produce some tough struggles in the coming months and years, the new US Socialist Worker website is looking good, and has some star material including from John Pilger and others. I don't know if they're updating regularly throughout the week like our own UK Socialist Worker (where you can find a solid analysis of the latest election results), but if you want insight on last week's shocking verdict on Sean Bell, or on the recent SEIU fiasco, it's got the goods. I see the website is also promoting an ISR article on the Mahalla revolt by my Egyptian comrade Hossam el-Hamalawy. Incidentally, he will be useful for those of you wanting to know about the effects of world food prices on the struggle against the Egyptian dictatorship (Mubarak is looking seriously threatened). For news on Haiti, where the riots and street battles with UN occupiers are reaching a zenith on account of food prices, I would check out Haitianalysis.com. Any other good resources you think of, post them in the comments boxes.

Labels: boris johnson, egypt, food prices, haiti, mubarak, socialist worker

Toppling Mubarak posted by lenin

Labels: egypt, general strike, mubarak

Mubarak's police attack strikers, provoke riots. posted by lenin

Amid all the justified talk about Mugabe's repression in the face of rebellion, Mubarak's dictatorship has just passed through another of it's - I hope - terminal convulsions. It comes in the form of an apparently well-planned assault on what might have become a general strike, in part motivated by soaring prices. It turned into a riot, a full-scale intifada, as Egypt's police unleashed hell on Mahalla al-Kobra textile workers yesterday. Hossam el-Hamalawy has full details here, with photos. You can see further images here. Zeinobi at Egyptian Chronicles has ongoing updates. Agence France Presse also has a decent report with photographs.

From the early hours of the morning, it seems, the factory at the centre of the strike was occupied by plain clothes security forces, including figures from the mukhabarat. Tens of known labour activists were prevented from entering the building, and a great deal of pressure was put on union leaders to call off solidarity strikes. It looked as if the strike had 'fizzled out' as one report put it. However, when workers and local residents gathered in the main square to protest, they were met by ranks of armed guards and beaten and attacked with tear gas. With what can only be described as incredible courage, the protesters resisted instead of dispersing, and what ensued was a lengthy battle, with rocks hurled and trucks and cars overturned. Across Egypt there were hundreds of arrests, many of them random, and bloggers were nicked alongside activists and politicians in an effort to prevent the news about what was happening from getting out. At least two people are reported to have been killed by the police, with 100 more injured. In Cairo, it is reported, the traffic was light and schools empty as people responded to the strike call. But where protesters tried to organise, the police attacked them. By 10pm, Mahalla was entirely occupied by security forces, with announcements instructing citizens to stay in their homes and power to the city cut off.

The manner in which the Egyptian state aborted this strike and attacked protesters has prompted the Muslim Brothers to boycott upcoming elections. This is a landmark for the Mubarak state, in the context of a rising wave of rebellion against the government's neoliberal policies. Mahalla workers have been the most militant and effective fighters in the country, and their successes have enlivened the whole society. If this day of carnage and crackdown was supposed to put a stop to that, I doubt that it will be effective. But then I suspect that Mubarak knows that the issues over which people are protesting generalise very rapidly from apparently economic concerns into a critique of the regime and society. And do not forget the paymaster. The United States government has taken risks with its assets in the Middle East by gambling on the invasion of Iraq. Mubarak is significant enough for them that he is the second largest recipient of aid next to Israel. Like Iraq, Egypt has long been one of the major powers in the Middle East, and an obvious candidate to lead a regional insurgency against American hegemony should it fall into the wrong hands.

Labels: egypt, general strike, mahalla, mubarak, police state, repression

Free Latif posted by lenin

Socialist reporter, Mohamed Abdel Latif, detained by America's client despot, Mubarak.

Labels: 'war on terror', egypt, mubarak, socialism

Meanwhile... posted by lenin

Hossam el-Hamalawy reports on another victory for Egyptian workers, and brings two new studies of struggles taking place in Egypt.

Labels: egypt, mubarak, revolution, socialism, working class

Solidarity with Egyptian Labour Activists posted by lenin

Hossam el-Hamalawy is seeking international support for labour activists victimised by the Egyptian state during the course of this ongoing strike wave. One is an organiser named Mohamed el-Attar, who has led strikes as well as campaigns against corrupt state officials. The company, acting on instructions from the state police, is moving him across the country, far away from his family, in order to stop him and help break the power of the union. The appeal is as follows:

If you are a trade unionist, a member of a syndicate, student union, political party, NGO, or a human rights organization, please try to get your union or organization to issue a solidarity statement with Attar, calling for the revoke of the transfer decree, his reinstatement back in his position in Mahalla, and send it to the following Egyptian ministries:

Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif
Address: Magles El Shaab St., Kasr El Aini St.Cairo
Fax: +(202) 7356449 - 7958016
E-mail: primemin@idsc.gov.eg
Minister of Manpower and Migration: Aisha Abdel Hadi
Fax: +202 2609891
Email: manpower@mome.gov.eg
Minister of Investment: Dr. Mahmoud Mohieedin
Fax: +202 4055635
Email: ministermeeting@investment.gov.eg

The Egyptian government is shit scared of the militant trade union movement, which I would guess is the only reason this guy isn't in a cell somewhere. They know they could fall. It's a very delicate moment for the regime. So, by all means, why not help the movement that is bringing the dictator to his knees?

Update: Campaign successful!

Labels: egypt, mubarak, socialism, strike, US imperialism, working class