EGYPT will once again take centre stage in the dramatic global uprising against neoliberal tyranny this weekend.
Opponents of the US-backed Morsi regime will be taking to the streets on Sunday #June30 to call for a second revolution - a year after the increasingly unpopular and despotic leader came to power.
There were already chaotic scenes in Alexandria on Friday, as revolutionaries were attacked by government supporters, with reports of at least one death and many injured.
The Muslim Brotherhood in the coastal city was also said to have been set on fire (see photo) - previously such attacks have been claimed by Egypt's thriving anarchist Black Bloc movement.
Rumours were also circulating on the internet that the regime was planning to shut down Egyptian TV channels over the weekend in a desperate bid to retain power, reminiscent of the final days of the Mubarak regime.
AN EGYPTIAN anarchist movement has emerged on the streets with a wave of firebombings and street fights.
The new wave of revolt is also sweeping through other Arab countries, with anarchist groups in Tunisia, Morocco, Syria and elsewhere.
Anarchists have been present in Egypt
before, during, and after the revolution, but until today, they have yet
to organize a mass grouping under the banner of anarchism, explains blogger Ryan Harvey.
The Ultras
of Egypt’s football clubs have for years been associated with anarchist
ideas and actions, and they are widely credited with having initiated
the level militancy that brought down the Mubarak government in February
of 2011.
This week anarchism left the graffitied
walls, small conversations, and online forums of Egypt, and came to
life in Cairo, declaring itself a new force in the ongoing social
revolution sparked two years ago with multiple firebombings against
Muslim Brotherhood offices. Later, the government shut down the “Black
Blocairo” and “Egyptian Black Bloc” Facebook pages, but they were soon re-launched.
“Wait for our next attacks as we respond
to the closing of our official page…” they posted in a statement posted
online (translated below).
On Thursday the black bloc made its first
mass-appearance in Tahrir Square, and, shortly after, firebombed the
Shura Council (Egyptian Parliament), tore down a section of the
protest-barrier walls leading from Tahrir Square, and, with others,
engaged in fighting against security forces.
These statements and actions are in preparation for tomorrow’s second
anniversary of the revolution, and for what some are calling “a whole
new level” or protest in Egypt.
Anarchism and the black bloc concept has grown in recent months
across Egypt, Stemming from various anarchist grouping/circles that
coalesced during the revolutionary period. A massive distrust among the
youth of all political parties, a sharp critique of the role of religion
within governance, and the inspiration of anarchist resistance around
the world (largely symbolized by the late-2008 revolt in Greece) have
helped it catalyze.
d
Below is the statement of Black
Blocairo in regards to the removal of their websites, their firebombing
attacks against government offices, and their calls for revolt:
“Yesterday and after we finished our
event, we met some of the revolutionary movements and we decided to
unite together in our next attacks, hence we did our first two attacks,
as we told you yesterday:
1- Setting fire to Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood) online office.
2- Setting fire in the Ikhwan office in Al-Manial street in Cairo.
And we announced our
revolution since today in Al-Tahrir Square untill Egypt and it’s people
get their rights back! Life, Freedom and social justice!
Black Blocairo, The Hooligans
Wait for our next attacks as we respond to the closing of our official page…”
FASCISM or revolution is the clear choice now facing the people of Greece, as the neoliberal regime stamps down even harder on people's basic rights.
On Friday January 25 riot police stormed the
Athens metro's main depot and attacked striking workers staging a blockade.
Reports The Guardian: "State-run
television showed police handing strikers civil mobilisation papers.
The workers, who had defied court decisions labelling the action 'illegal and abusive', face immediate arrest and loss of jobs if they
refuse to return to work in the next 24 hours."
Kathimerini adds that the head of the metro workers’ union, Antonis Stamatopoulos, has accused the
government of being a “junta” and said that the protesting workers at the metro’s main depot in Sepolia would not be brought
out of there alive.
"All the other public transport unions came out in
support of the metro workers by announcing 24-hour strikes for Friday.
Greece’s main private sector union, GSEE, also backed the action. Two
senior SYRIZA MPs, Panayiotis Lafazanis and Dimitris Stratoulis, visited
the Sepolia depot to express support for the strikers and their
opposition to the government’s decision."
The plutofascist system is prepared to use brute force to push the population of Greece into slave-labour conditions - and if they succeed there they will extend their new 21st century authoritarian version of capitalism to the rest of Europe and beyond.
Our only hope for the future is to defy them all the way and to risk everything for the freedom of tomorrow's children.
REVOLUTION is in the air across Europe, as millions take to the streets and reject a future of slavery under global neoliberalism.
The transnational #14N day of strikes and actions saw huge numbers vent their anger against the capitalist system and its "austerity" agenda of privatisation and tyranny.
The panicked establishment - increasingly revealed as the same entity under different 'national' guises - has reacted with ever-more brutal attacks by its hired cop thugs.
The scenes in Portugal, as riot cops viciously cleared protesters from in front of the parliament in Lisbon, were particularly enlightening in this respect.
In Spain, hundreds were injured and rubber bullets fired at protesters - a sure sign that the authorities fear losing control.
This cowardly cop assault on a young girl in Tarragona has sparked widespread public outrage.
There were also attacks on sit-down protesters in Madrid.
This aerial shot shows the scale of the protest in Madrid.
And this one in Barcelona.
In Italy, there were also dramatic clashes between rebels and cops, such as this one in Milano.
When millions of citizens reject capitalism in this manner and the only response from governments is to have them physically attacked, the only way forward is revolution. The great uprising has begun!
THE JACKBOOT of plutofascism is coming down hard on the people of Greece, first European victims of the new post-democratic capitalist order.
Ahead of the visit by German chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday October 9, authorities took the unprecedented step of banning "all gatherings and protests in the wider centre of Athens plus the city’s airport and the main thoroughfares to it", reports From The Greek Streets.
The physical presence of Merkel in Greece is so unnecessary and provocative, that the event seems stage-managed as part of an attempt to finally break the opposition to the neoliberal rape of the country.
It is no coincidence that at the same time as the fascist measures were being announced, the head of the Eurogroup of finance ministers was warning Greece to speed up the economic measures being imposed on it by the global money system.
It is as if the elite want to send a message to the rest of Europe, and beyond - no matter how angry you get, no matter how hard you try to rise up against us, we have the physical means to keep you in your place.
Unfortunately for them, they have forgotten that resistance to tyranny springs from the deepest wells of the life force itself and can never be extinguished
AN INVALUABLE insight into the mindset of the liberal bourgeoisie has been provided by an article in The Observer.
Helena Smith, Greek correspondent for the liberal UK publication, reports that the circle she frequents are not backing the radicals in the crucial general election.
She writes: "Everything has changed as certainties have crumbled. Many of my
friends feel bewildered and fearful: bewildered that it should come to
this, fearful of the dislocation from assurances of things past.
"In
the topsy-turvy world that they now inhabit, almost all have decided
that they will throw their political convictions to the winds.
"For the
first time ever, they will vote conservative, casting their ballot in
favour of New Democracy, the 'pro-European' party led by Antonis Samaras
in the hope – no matter how slight – that Greece can be saved."
This is a lesson worth remembering - no matter how 'progressive' their rhetoric, the bourgeoisie have a vested interest in the continuation of the capitalist system and, when it comes to the crunch, will do everything they can to protect it.
Make no mistake, they would prefer the 'security' of fascism to the possibility of real social change.
Fuck the liberals! Fuck the bourgeoisie! Viva la Revolución!
ALL eyes are now on Greece, as the neoliberal world order comes into direct and obvious conflict with democracy.
Protests against plutofascist 'austerity' continue all over the world, including in Spain, Italy, the USA and the UK.
But in Greece the conflict has moved on to another phase. The anti-capitalist rebels have successfully made the point that the global bankers are destroying their communities and effectively ignoring the will of the people.
While the years of full-on protest and riots did not succeed directly in sparking a revolution, they did expose to the general public the stark reality of the situation.
It is for this reason that the majority of the electorate backed anti-austerity parties in the recent general election.
With a re-run now lined up, the neoliberal elite fear a victory for Syriza and the left which would represent a serious challenge to their hegemony.
What will they do now? How will they stop the anticipated election result from becoming reality? Already there are dire warnings of a descent into chaos if the Greek population rejects the 'safety' of neoliberal slavery.
What further scaremongering and smears will be wheeled out? Can we expect a false flag 'terror' attack to try and change the course of the vote?
And if the left does win the elections, will the money men stand by and watch while these upstarts take over power and put their worldwide capitalist empire at risk of collapse?
Or will this be the time for them to once and for all drop the pretence of this phoney democracy with which they have been keeping us all in line for so long?
Looking a step further ahead, what would happen next if they denied the Greek people their choice and tried to impose a regime of their own liking?
Remember, the Spanish Revolution did not begin in 1936 as an uprising against the state, but was a defensive reaction to an extreme-right coup against a left-wing government.
With half of the Greek police reckoned to have voted Nazi in the last election, the scenarios are not so different.
NEOLIBERALS are beginning to panic in the face of growing global resistance to their brutal and corrupt system.
The illusion of democracy and 'government by consent' is evaporating in a heated spiral of popular defiance and increased repression.
Opposition is thus becoming deeper and more radical, as the obvious impossibility of reform opens a new generation's eyes to the necessity of revolution.
One example of this process is Spain, where the state has announced a package of draconian new laws to criminalise dissent.
Jorge Fernandez Diaz, the interior minister, said "serious disturbances of public order and intent to organise
violent demonstrations through means such as social networking" would
carry the same penalty as involvement in a criminal organisation under the
new reform.
He also said that the measures would extend authorities' powers to deal
with passive resistance as contempt of court.
The measures would make it "an offence to breach authority using mass
active or passive resistance against security forces and to include as a
crime of assault any threatening or intimidating behaviour," he said in
Congress.
In addition attempts to disrupt public services such as transportation would
also be made a crime. During the recent general strike picketers blockaded
bus and train stations in an attempt to bring transportation to a halt.
"New measures are needed to combat the spiral of violence practised by
'anti-system' groups using urban guerrilla warfare," the Interior
Ministry clarified in a later statement.
Catalonian interior minister Felip Puig has said he wants the new laws to "make people more frightened of the system" - a clear admission of the direction the neoliberal establishment is now heading.
In Britain, where the authorities fear more rioting could erupt during the corporate beanfeast known as the Olympics, a similar version of 'democracy' is being rolled out.
Police have decided to use chemical warfare against 'rioters' - by which they also mean protesters and strikers - and are stocking up on the tools of repression.
The Guardian revealed a spate of
recent spending by police forces around the UK on plastic bullets, referred to as attenuating energy
projectiles (AEPs).
It reported: "Some forces appear to have decided to
considerably boost their stocks. Leicestershire constabulary spent
£19,630 buying AEPs in 2010-11, doubling its spending on the previous
year. So far in 2011-12 it has spent more than £10,000.
"Even a
relatively small force, Avon and Somerset, which faced serious disorder
in Bristol last year during the English riots and on a previous occasion
amid anger over a controversial Tesco store, has spent more than
£70,000 in the last three years. It also currently possesses 28 AEP
launchers. That is 16 more than the larger West Midlands police, which
still nevertheless spend more than £53,000 stocking up on AEPs in the
last three years.
"Gloucestershire police, whose territory was the
scene of one of the more surprising outbreaks of rioting last summer,
decided to considerably boost its AEP stocks last year. It spent £32,060
doing so, more than double its combined spending in 2009 and 2010.
Elsewhere, Greater Manchester said it had sufficient supplies last year
after spending more than £76,000 in the previous two years, while
Nottinghamshire has spent £74,000 in the past three years."
Meanwhile, there are signs of how the flood of revolt may now be forced to flow, if the authorities try to block it in its conventional course.
Dimitris Christoulas, the Greek pensioner who killed himself in front of the parliament (see video) and Trenton Oldfield, the anti-elitist swimmer who disrupted the upper class boat race in London are examples of how rejection of neoliberalism will manifest itself if protests are met with chemicals and bullets.
There is a clear fork in the path ahead for humanity - one way leads to the wretched misery of plutofascism and the other to our liberation.
POLITICS are corrupt and the only way out for mankind is to kill the 1% who own everything.
This is the view expressed by acclaimed Finnish film director Aki Kaurismäki in an interview with the English newspaper The Guardian.
Kaurismäki is quoted as saying: "For mankind, I can't see any way out except terrorism. We kill the 1%. The only way
for mankind to get out of this misery is to kill the 1% who own
everything. The 1% who have put us in the position where humanity has no
value. The rich. And the politicians who are the puppies of the rich."
Asked by the interviewer if he had ever thought of 'going into politics', he replies: "No, never. Politics are corrupt."
The director has previously boycotted the Oscars ceremony in protest at US imperialist foreign policy. His latest film, Le Havre, is about the plight of an African child immigrant in Europe.
BRITISH hypocrisy over the Middle East and democracy has been further exposed by events in Bahrain, where protests were this week crushed by cops with tear gas, stun grenades and helicopters.
Not only has the UK been arming the repressive Bahraini state, as The Guardian has reported, but a retired top British cop has also been flown out to mastermind the clamp-down.
John Yates, the former assistant commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, who resigned last year during the phone hacking scandal, is purportedly 'reforming' the Bahraini force.
But he told The Daily Telegraph in the run-up to the February 14 anniversary protests: “The concept of reasonable reaction to provocation has been reinforced.
“Unless they face extraordinary provocation like last year, it will be about
allowing people to gather and containment. It’s about learning techniques
from other places like kettling – that would work really well around here.”
And his verdict on the movement for democracy in the authoritarian pro-Western Gulf state? “This isn’t organised protests, its just vandalism, rioting on the streets. Acts of wanton damage that are destroying the
economy.”
Meanwhile, Britain continues to support armed insurrection in Syria, where the regime is not backed by the UK and USA.
Says From the Greek Streets: "Tens of banks and other buildings are burning across Athens after
today’s demonstrations. There are huge riots in Thessaloniki and Patra
as well. The situation seems to be spiralling out of control."
Reports Reuters: "Historic cinemas, cafes and
shops went up in flames in central Athens on Sunday as
black-masked protesters fought Greek police outside parliament,
while inside lawmakers looked set to defy the public rage by
endorsing a new EU/IMF austerity deal.
"As parliament prepared to vote on a new 130 billion euro bailout to save Greece
from a messy bankruptcy, a Reuters photographer saw the buildings
engulfed in flames and huge plumes of smoke rose in the night sky.
"The air over Syntagma Square outside parliament was thick
with tear gas as riot police fought running battles with youths
who smashed marble balustrades and hurled stones and petrol
bombs.
"Many businesses were ablaze, including
the neo-classical home to the Attikon cinema dating from 1870
and a building housing the Asty, an underground cinema used by
the Gestapo during World War Two as a torture chamber.
"As fighting raged for hours, protesters threw home made
bombs made from gas canisters as riot police advanced across the
square on the crowds, firing tear gas and stun grenades. Loud
booms
from the protests could be heard inside parliament. 'Tear gas has reached the parliament chamber,' said leftist
lawmaker Panagiotis Lafazanis.
"'Enough is enough!'" said 89-year-old Manolis Glezos, one of
Greece's most famous leftists.'They have no idea what an
uprising by the Greek people means. And the Greek people,
regardless of ideology, have risen.'
"Glezos is a national hero for sneaking up the Acropolis at
night in 1941 and tearing down a Nazi flag from under the noses
of the German occupiers, raising the morale of Athens residents.
"'These measures of annihilation will not pass,' Glezos said
on Syntagma Square, visibly overcome by teargas and holding a
mask over his mouth."
Updates are still being posted on From the Greek Streets, though pages are not always available.
Here is the latest section of timeline:
00.22 A few hours ago, enraged demonstrators in the city of Corfu
stormed the offices of the local ‘socialist’ MPs Gerekou and Dendias (an
ex-minister of Justice), destroying them completely.
00.20 The town hall of the city of Volos is burning. Earlier, people
had stormed the local tax office, destroying plenty of documents inside.
00.14 A demonstration has only just started in the city of Athens,
with people roaming through the city’s streets and the police tucked
away in the sidestreets.
23:07 Demonstrators attacked the Exarcheia Police station a few minutes ago.
23:45 Smoke from tear gas and burning buildings has covered central
Athens. Clashes are still going on and the streets are full of people.
Earlier, a lot of demonstrators tried to attack the house of the former
Prime Minister Costas Simitis in the upper class district of Kolonaki
(Anagnostopoulou st.)they clashed with the police units guarding the
house.
Earlier a group of demonstrators tried to invade Acropolis police
station. The police officers managed to protect the police station but
several of them were injured while police vehicles in front of the
station were burnt.
Early in the afternoon a DELTA motorcycle police unit, was trapped by
demonstrators: people held a rope across the street throwing down the
speeding motorcycles.
23.10 GMT+2 It is entirely impossible to estimate the number of
people who have taken to the streets in Athens tonight. They are
definitely in the hundreds of thousands – there are simply people
everywhere.
23.07 GMT+2 The building of Marfin bank (the same building where
three bank workers died on May 5, 2010) has been burnt to the ground.
23.05 GMT+2 A gun shop in Omonoia, Athens, has been looted.
23.02 GMT+2 Information about the alleged occupation of the town hall
is confirmed: a group of people entered the building, only to be
evicted and arrested by riot police a few minutes later.
22.42 GMT+2 The town hall of Athens has allegedly been occupied.
FIGHTING in the streets of Egypt continued on Sunday for the fourth day in a row.
There were reports of live ammunition and unlabelled canisters of tear gas being used against rebels in Cairo.
Plain-clothes police were also said to be attacking and abducting opponents of the SCAF regime.
In the days since the football stadium massacre at Port Said, more and more witnesses have come forward to confirm state involvement in the deaths, raising hatred of the military rulers to new levels.
POLICE have shot dead at least two protesters in Suez, as Egyptians continue to rise up against the SCAF military junta.
Hundreds have been injured in Cairo, where this video was shot, and people have also taken to the streets in other cities including Alexandria and Port Said.
Increasingly, people are waking up to the fact that the murderous regime in Cairo is just a franchise of the same system which owns Washington, Paris and London.
Shahira Abouellail commented on Twitter: "I wonder how long its gonna take us to realize we are fighting a world order, not just our government."
THE WALL came down in Cairo on Thurday night as anti-regime protesters broke through a massive stone blockade in Mohamed Mahmoud Street with a makeshift battering ram.
Ongoing clashes with police have been taking place in the capital all day, as Egyptians respond to the deaths of nearly 80 football fans at Port Said.
Growing numbers of them believe the hand of the state can be seen behind the horrific events.
Crowds were reported to be shouting: "This was not a sports accident, this was a military massacre!"
Writes Mohamed El Dahshan: "It doesn't add up. Port Said's Masry soccer team won 3-1 against its
long-time rival Ahly. In Port Said. It was a tough victory, one that Masry won with
the support of its fans. The logical question would be, then, 'Why would the
Masry fans attack the minority of Ahly fans among them?'
"From there on, the questions just don't stop. 'Why did neither the
governor of Port Said nor its security chief attend a game they both normally
attend?' asked parliamentarian Mohamed Abou Hamed on live television.. 'Why were security forces barely present despite knowing that the long
rivalry between the two teams had a potential for violence?'
"On the streets and on the web, blame is put squarely on the police. Once
again it failed miserably, as it has for the past year. Blame is also being put
on the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the SCAF, as the head of the
executive branch."
This was not just the feeling in Cairo - Port Said residents are also adamant that the violence at
Wednesday’s match there was caused by infiltrators, not hardcore
local football fans.
A handful of supporters of the Masry Football Club, which
beat Cairo’s leading team Ahly 3-1 before the violence began, told Egypt Independent on Thursday that what happened the day before was the
premeditated work of infiltrators taking advantage of an intentional
security vacuum.
They pointed out that the gate between the stands and
the pitch was left open, while at the same time the exit to the area
where Ahly fans were sitting was kept closed.
At least 71 people died and more than 300 were injured in the violence Wednesday night.
Thousands of people gathered outside the Port Said
governor’s headquarters by late afternoon, chanting, “Port Said is
innocent!” and “This is the truth,” blaming security forces for the
deadly violence.
“This is a conspiracy. We wouldn’t do this to our
brothers,” said Mohamed Abdel Fattah, standing outside of the governor’s
office. “The Ahly supporters were predominantly from Port Said. My
brother was one of them. Port Said is sad today; all residents of the
city are sad and feel as if their own relatives have died.”
ANGER is growing in Egypt about the state's role in the deaths of almost 80 people at a football match.
Security forces clearly stood by and watched the murderous attack on fans known as Ultras who have been at the foreront of resistance to the SCAF military regime.
Football supporters and their families are planning to march on Thursday February 2 from the Al Ahly Club to the Ministry of Interior, reports Nagoul1 on Twitter.
He adds: "The Port Said Incident will not pass lightly. Expect some serious development in the next couple of days."
Writes blogger Dimak Hatib: "Let
me refresh your memory. It was on the 2 February 2011, one year ago.
Tahrir Square was attacked by thugs on camels, horses and donkeys, which
came all the way from the Pyramids, about 17 kilometers away.
"These
clashes that lasted for hours and hours, being watched live on TV all
over the world, came to be known as the Camel Battle. It was an
unforgettable day in Egypt's 18 days of protests that ended up with
toppling Hosni Mubarak on 11 February 2011.
"One year later, at a football stadium in the city of Port Said, chaos
breaks after a football match and somehow violence ends up with a death
toll of almost 80 people and almost 300 injured!
"So
many Ultras are dead. Suprisingly - or may be not surprisingly - from
Al Ahly football club. Al Ahly Ultras have been among the most vocal and
most active revolutionaries.
"As
the news travelled around the world about those Ultras being killed and
injured, many probably thought : oh this was just another hooligans
fight!
"But in Egypt conspiracy theories and accusations grew louder and
louder on TV stations and social media.
"Let's not forget that Egyptians
have had quite an eventful week since 25 January 2012 when more people
than ever before turned up at Tahrir Square.
"That was followed by a
major bank robbery, clashes between protesters and Muslim Brotherhood
supporters outside parliament, continued sit-in outside State TV, etc.
"In the beginning of this video (above) you can see clearly how security forces
stood by watching while violence was breaking at the stadium.
"Such
footage coupled with countless accounts by witnesses with details of how
things turned ugly only came to emphasise people's doubts that the
ultras may have been tragetted.
"Whether or not that is true, the damage is already done.
"As the train from Port Said arrived at Cairo Station after 3am, carrying
some of the Ultras, inlcuding injured ones, their family members and
friends were waiting to see who would come out of the train, alive. Some
did come out, safe and sound. Others came out injured. But some did not
make it! It was a very emotional moment.
"And.. thousands were gathered at the station.
"The chanting was becoming louder and clearer:
"Either we get their rights, or we die like them"
"Down with the Military Rule"
"The People Want to Execute the Field Mashall"
"Ambulances
took the injured to hospitals while the Ultras marched on to Tahrir
Square, a square they know very well, a square where they have survived
many battles before and are ready for any new ones to come. "It was yet another unforgettable day and an unforgettable - sleepless - night in Egyptians' long struggle for freedom."
DESERT rebels have launched a revolutionary war in the Sahara.
The fight for a free Azawad has turned into an armed conflict after brutal attacks on the population by the US-backed state of Mali.
On January 17 armed resistance fighters attacked military compounds in Menaka, Adaramboukare and Tessalit in the north of the African country.
Fighting continued for some time and there was a serious clash at Aguelhok.
Behind the insurrection was the Azawad National Liberation Movement (Mouvement National De Liberation de l'Azawad - MNLA), a group formed on October 16 last year.
The Mali state flooded the area with tanks, aircraft and troops and more fighting broke out on the morning of Thursday January 26.
The MNLA says the Malian army suffered heavy losses and was forced to retreat.
Photos published on Facebook show the wreckage of a burnt-out MIG-21 jet shot down by the resistance fighters.
Mossa Ag Attaher, spokesman for the MNLA, told French newspaper Le Monde that the aim of the struggle was to liberate Azawad from Malian colonialism.
He explained that Azawad consisted of three regions currently part of Mali - Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal.
The MNLA was fighting for the aspirations of the Touareg people and also those of the Songhai, Peuls and Moors.
They had a right to choose their own form of government, to self-determination and, if they so desired, to independence, he said.
The MNLA is the result of a fusion between the Mouvement National de l'Azawad (MNA), a group of young intellectuals and political activists, and the guerrillas of the former Alliance Touareg Niger Mali (ATNM).
These elements have now been joined by groups of former Touareg rebels who fled Mali in the 1990s to join the Libyan army and returned to Azawad, with plenty of weaponry, during the NATO war on the Gaddafi regime.
THOUSANDS of Egyptians are gathering in Cairo's Tahrir Square today to mark the anniversary of the January 25 revolution.
And amidst all the pride and celebration is anger that despite all the efforts made and lives lost, the country is still essentially ruled by the same elite.
The SCAF military junta has promised to step down once a president is in place in June, but there is little reason to think it will voluntarily step away from political control.
The brutality it has deployed against protesters in the last few months has been horribly reminiscent of the Mubarak regime that the revolution famously toppled.
Commented journalist rurned blogger Dima Khatib on Twitter: "A year has passed since #Jan25 with 945 people dead, more than 6,400 injured and not one police officer was sentenced. #Egypt”
A live blog of today's Tahrir protest is being run by Aljazeera and you can also follow the #jan25 hashtag on Twitter to see how events develop.
LIBYANS are rising up against the new western-backed regime and moving towards a real grassroots revolution.
Protesters ransacked the Transitional National Council's offices in Benghazi on Sunday, with a crowd of mostly young men throwing a grenade, smashing windows and forcing their way into
the building while the council’s chairman, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, was
inside.
Reports the New York Times: "For months, youth groups with a range of complaints have been protesting
against the Transitional National Council in Benghazi, the eastern city
whose protests sparked the nine-month revolt and which once served as
the rebel capital.
"Protests have cropped up elsewhere, too, including in
Tripoli, the capital, where activists have erected a small tent city
across from the prime minister’s office.
"Seeking to contain the fallout from the attack, Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, the
transitional council’s deputy chief, resigned Sunday, telling the Arabic
satellite channel Al Jazeera, 'My resignation is for the benefit of the
nation and is required at this stage.'
"Speaking to reporters in Benghazi on Sunday, Mr. Abdel-Jalil warned that
continued protests could lead the country down a perilous path and
pleaded with protesters to give the government more time."
GREEK revolutionaries have stormed a radio station in Athens and broadcast a message of solidarity with comrades on trial.
Contra Info reports that the action on January 10 involved some 20 members of the solidarity assembly for the case of Revolutionary Struggle (Epanastatikos Agonas), whose trial is currently underway.
They entered the corporate radio station flash.gr on Kifisias Avenue and interrupted the station’s programme, to transmit their statement.
It adds: "Despite the fact that neither the station’s management, nor its staff asked officially any police intervention, scores of police (DIAS motorcycle units, squads such as MAT, plainclothes cops, among others) soon arrived on the spot and encircled the building.
"At about 14.00, after hours of being blocked inside the radio’s offices, anarchists who took part in the solidarity intervention were detained en masse and taken to the police headquarters on Alexandras Avenue: two prosecutors along with police squads stormed the radio station, forcing the comrades to exit the premises; all were handcuffed and held in police buses, while their mobile phones were confiscated."
The report says that as soon as the news was circulated, anarchists gathered opposite the police HQ, where a solidarity protest of approximately 100 people was staged.
A text released by the 20 detainees themselves states: "We have taken this action in an effort to break the wall of silence and the political order to gag the trial process and the political discourse of the defendants in the Revolutionary Struggle case.
"A confirmation of this gagging was the immediate reaction of police forces during the broadcast of our audio message with the words of the prosecuted for the same case.
"This mobilization of the executive and law enforcement authorities is indicative for anyone who resists, for whoever puts forward the total overthrow of the system through the social revolution, which is the only way to escape from the modern totalitarianism of the Troika of EU, ECB and IMF and their trustee, the Greek State, that have submitted the entire society in poverty and misery."
BAHRAINI revolutionaries have fought back with molotov cocktails after a teenager was murdered by police.
Sayed Hashim Saeed, aged 15, who died on Saturday, had apparently been hit by a tear gas canister at close range on Saturday.
The Al-Khalifa regime is backed by Saudi Arabia and the USA and Press TV reports that there
have been anti-US protests in several areas, including Sitra, in which US flags were burnt.
In an interview with the Iranian TV channel, Bahraini activist Asma Darwish says: "Actually the regime mercenaries are
shooting directly into people and into the houses and just today our
house was shot by tear gas canisters. The smell is so strong and those
tear gas [canisters] are all made in Brazil and in France and the United
States.
"The countries, including the United states should
stop supporting the Bahraini regime. The Bahraini regime is an
oppressive regime."
An overwhelming majority of people are happy to be living in this industrial capitalist world. We know this because we are told it constantly.
How could we foresee a near future in which the hypnotic spell is broken, the scales fall from a billion eyes and those who say 'Enough!' are revealed, all of a sudden, to be a gale force wind of revolt, a tidal wave of insurgent delight sweeping all before it, a minority so vast it will change everything?
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