Tag: Activism

Just passing along some updates about the worldwide solidarity movement with Egypt and the protests it is organizing:

1. The Egyptian Committee in Support of the Egyptian Judges (London – Chicago), The Cairo Conference, Stop The War Coalition ( http://www.stopwar.org.uk/), and Globalise Resistance ( http://www.resist.org.uk/) will announce very soon the launch of “The International Campaign In solidarity with the Egyptian Judges”. This initiative will be supporting the Fifth Point of the last Kefaya Press Release calling on Egyptians abroad to campaign, explain, and introduce the Egyptian cause to the world. Please wait for the Campaign web site where all the information and missions statement will be published.

2. Timeline for Coming period:

Monday May 22nd

London: The International Campaign will be organising a “Public Meeting” as part of its effort to explain the Egyptian situation and the Judges Cause. The session will be chaired by the prominent journalist Yvonne Ridley (for more information about Ridley please visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1570394.stm). Speakers will include John Rees (Vice PResident – Cairo Conference and for more information about him please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rees_(UK_politician), Jeremey Corbyn and a speaker from the Egyptian Committee in Support of Egyptian Judges. All the Meeting details and flyer (Please stick it on your blog or print and distribute it) could be found on http://elkhan-elmasry.blogspot.com/

Wednesday May 24th
Paris: There will be a demo in front of the Egyptian Embassy at 2 pm. Address is l’Ambassade d’Egypte, 56, av. d’Iéna, 16ème, métro Iéna. For all information please contact Dina at solidaritegypte@hotmail.fr. Other than the Egyptian Activists there will be some other French NGOs supporting them including Agir Contre la guerre, Syndicat de la Magistrature (Union of Justice .. i.e The French Judges), la Federation Internationale des Droits de l’Homme, Ligue des
Droits de l’Homme.

London: There will be a “Banner Session” where Egyptian and International activists will get a chance to interact and work together on the banners that will be used for the 25th Demos. This event is intended as a chance for the Egyptians to tell the International Activists more about Egypt, its culture, its politics …etc and above all to explain why they feel they have to vioce their protest against what is happening in Egypt. More info about the banner session will be available soon on http://elkhan-elmasry.blogspot.com/ . This is event is organised by the International Campign in Solidarity with the Egyptian Judges (Cairo Conference, Egyptian Committee, Stop War, Globalise Resistance).

Thursday May 25th
Athens: There will be a demo organised by the Greek Stop the War Coalition and the Athens Labour Centre. the demo will take place at 7 pm outside the Egyptian Embassy. For more information please contact stoppolemo@yahoo.gr

Chicago: There will be a demo in front of the Egyptian Consulate at 500 N. Michigan (12:30 PM) organised by the Egyptian Committee in Support of the Egyptian Judges (Chicago). The Demo will be organised in Coordination with some other Local NGOs who want to show solidarity with the Egyptian Judges. For more information please contact Ahmed Attia ( youssef_el_seba3y@yahoo.com) and Rime Naguib ( rime.naguib@gmail.com). This Demo will be part of the International Campaign in Support of Egyptian Judges.

London: There will be a demo in front of the Egyptian Embassy at 5:30 PM (26 South Street, Mayfair, nearest Tube Station is Green Park). The flyer for this Demo will be available soon on http://elkhan-elmasry.blogspot.com/ . This demo will be part of the International Campaign in Support of the Egyptian Judges.

LIGHTS WILL BE OFF IN CAIRO HOUSEHOLDS FROM 9 TO 10 PM IN SUPPORT OF JUDGES ON THAT DAY (MAY 25th)

Friday May 26th
Seoul: There will be a demo in front of the Egyptian Embassy. For Further information, please contact CJ on atgcontact@hotmail.com . Please note that the South Koreans have already organised a very successful demo last year in support of the “Kifaya” movement.

There will be a solidarity protest in New York on 25 May:

Protest at the Egyptian consulate in New York

Date: May, 25th 2006
Place: 1110 Second Avenue, Suite # 201, New York, NY, 10022 (6 train to 59th Street stop)
Time: 12:30 pm

A protest demanding freeing Egyptian activists from jail and in support of the independence of Egyptian judiciary. Similar protests will be also held in London, Paris, Seoul, Chicago and of course Cairo. The protest in the US are organized by International Campaign of Solidarity with Egyptian Judges (http://www.icsej.org/) and the International Socialist Organization.

As you may know there has been some serious setbacks to democratic reforms in Egypt in the last month. Disciplinary measures have been taken against two judges (Mekki and Bastawissi) for calling for an investigation into vote rigging that took place during last year’s parliamentary and presidential elections. After a serious of protests in support of the judges, one judge was acquitted while the other was “reprimanded”. Yet the Egyptian judiciary is still a long way from independence. The struggle for the independence of the Egyptian judiciary, a corner stone of any thriving democracy, is being actively hindered by the Mubarak regime.

Emergency laws, which have been in effect since the assassination of Anwar el Sadat, were renewed for two more years. Under emergency laws people could be detained for indefinite periods of time for protesting peacefully. Despite promises that these laws will be used only to fight back terrorism, their chief function is to repress all voices calling for democratic reforms.

During the last month about 700 activists have been arrested and detained during protests in support of the Egyptian judges and calling to abolish emergency laws.

The Mubarak regime is sending clear and heavy handed signals that peaceful protests, a constitutional right, will not be tolerated. Thugs and security police have applied exceptional violence in dispersing and detaining protesters. See photos of last Thursday at http://www.misrdigital.tk/

May 25th is the first anniversary of “black Wednesday”. This was the day of referendum concerning amendments to the article 76 allowing presidential elections from more than one candidate for the first time in Egypt. The day was marred by violence against demonstrators by security police and government thugs. As with the events of the last month, journalists as well as protesters have been beaten up and women protesters have been harassed.