“Black Referendum Day” demo recap

Passing on the info:


In memory of the black referendum day
 
Thursday 25th of May
 
11.30:
Protest of university professors in front of main hall of Cairo University calling for the release of detained faculty and students.
 
1.30 p.m.
Protest rally in front of JUDGES CLUB in solidarity with the honorable judges of Egypt
 
3 p.m.
Protest rally in front of PRESS SYNDICATE where Egyptian security forces committed their crimes on the 25 th of May 2005.
 
 
More news to follow
 
The world demonstrates with us on the 24th, 25th and 26th of May
 
Wednesday 24 May
Paris: Demo in front of Egyptian embassy
 
Thursday 25 May
Athens: Demo, 7 p.m. in front of Egyptian embassy.
Chicago: Demo, 12 noon in front of Egyptian consulate
New York: Demo in front of Egyptian consulate
London: Demo, 5.30 p.m . in front of Egyptian embassy.
Montreal: Demo, 12 noon in front of Egyptian consulate.
Toronto: Demo, in front of Egypt Air Office.
 
Friday 26 May
Seoul: Demo in front of Egyptian embassy
 

Washington demo on 25 May confirmed

It’s official:

Egyptian-Americans and Supporters of Democracy in Egypt to Protest at Egyptian Embassy in Washington DC
Thursday May 25, 2006.

Demonstrate along with activists in cities worldwide against the Egyptian regime’s quashing of basic freedoms. We demand independence for the Egyptian judiciary and the release of all detained protesters and activists, and protest Washington’s silence on this count. May 25 is the first anniversary of “black Wednesday,” the date of a referendum on cosmetic changes to the Egyptian electoral system. On that day peaceful protesters and journalists were violently attacked and sexually assaulted by police and government thugs.

When?
Thursday, May 25, 2006 from 12 noon to 1 p.m.

Where?
In front of the Egyptian Embassy, 3521 International Court, NW, Washington DC 20008. (Metro: Van Ness/UDC)

Why?
We support Egyptian judges who are fighting for the freedom to uphold the rule of law and honest elections.
We call for the release of Egyptian political activists from jail – 700 of them, of all political and ideological stripes, have been arrested in the last month and treated brutally by Mubarak’s security services simply for protesting against the regime and calling for democracy.
We protest Washington’s silence towards the repression its closest Arab ally is conducting against peaceful dissent. We believe that the continuation of the status quo is harmful to the long term interests of both the United States and Egypt.
We demonstrate in solidarity with people around the world for the same cause on the same day, in Cairo, New York, London, Paris, Chicago, Seoul, Montreal and Athens.

Who?
The Alliance of Egyptian Americans, DC area student groups, the International Socialist Organization and individual supporters of democracy in Egypt.

Contact:
Dr. Ibrahim M. Hussein
Alliance of Egyptian Americans
(301) 613 7337

Sumita Pahwa
spahwa@jhu.edu

London calling on 25 May

Reminder about another London demo. The word is that there’s been quite successful activist meetings there and the movement is growing.

Thursday 25 MAY 5.30pm

Protest at Egyptian Embassy

South Street (off Park Lane, nearest tubes: Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch and Green Park) Called by the Committee in Support of the Egyptian Judges [CSEJ] (UK), Cairo Conference Globalise Resistance and Stop the War Coalition, Supported by Haldane Society of Lawyers.

New section on activism

Since there is a lot of information coming out on activism these days, especially around the 25 May demos, I created a new category called Activism. All posts about demos and other events organized by activists, whether in Egypt or abroad, will be listed there. Since I post things are they are sent to me, it’ll be a more convenient place to look for events close to where you live than browsing through the archives. News about activism will still make the home page, though.

Tunisia Ejects Amnesty International Representative

Those nasty, nasty little thugs that run Tunisia have thrown out Yves Steiner, an Amnesty International Representative who was attending a meeting in Tunis. Surely the least of their crimes, but worth highlighting.

But of course you would never read about it in Jeune Afrique, whose cover last week was a special on Dracula Ben Ali’s wonderful plans for the next decade.

Toronto demo on 25 May

25 May demos — now in Toronto:

Cairo – London – Paris – Seol – Athens – Chicago – New York – Montreal

and now…..

Toronto

Hand off our Judges!
Free our Detainees!!
Democracy & Justice Now!!!

The demo will be in front of the Egypt Air Office on the 25th of May (apparently this is the only official office there)

For more information please contact the Toronto Egyptian Solidarity Campaign at torontoesc@yahoo.ca

Al Jazeera to air documentary on Egyptian bloggers

Wael Abbas writes that Al Jazeera is airing a documentary on Egyptian bloggers on Thursday 25 May (rather appropriately considering all the blogactivism lately!). It’s on a 9pm GMT, and Wael is featured on it! Let’s hope they did it recently enough to also include some coverage of Alaa and the other bloggers who were recently arrested.

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Between this and the events of the 25th, Al Jazeera is going to have a heavy anti-Mubarak day!

A note about the blog

A few days ago, I arrived in my native city of Rabat, Morocco’s sleepy and beautiful capital. Hence the lack of blogging over the weekend, even as some important Egypt-related stuff was happening. I am trying to keep up with people in Egypt via email, blogs and precious, precious Skype (thanks to Morocco’s excellent and cheap cybercafés) in between working on some stuff here and sipping a lot of syrupy green tea with mint and going to the beach. (Finally, beaches with real waves rather than the too-warm and too-calm Mediterranean and Red Seas, which are glorified lakes if you ask me.)

I will be here until the end of July and hopefully will some interesting stuff to write about Morocco on the blog, as well as in those places that actually pay me.

So what about Egypt, where all hell is breaking out? Well, first of all, don’t hold your breath for another July revolution. Secondly, I will be keeping an eye on what’s happening there through the magic of the internet. And most importantly, I am getting info from people who are there, and there will within a few days be posts by some newcomers to the blog who are in Cairo. They will be introduced in time.

In the meantime, those of you who care about Egypt should check out some of solidarity demos around the world taking place on 25 May.

For those of you who don’t, you can always look forward to more stuff on the Maghreb on this blog.

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