Year: 2011

#Jan25 Suez strikes

Posted on By 3arabawy

I was watching Al-Jazeera Arabic, which was reporting minutes ago on mass strikes in Suez among industrial workers from different sectors. In the case of a textile factory, the army intervened directly to try to mediate between the CEO and the strikers. The negotiations failed, and the army whisked away the CEO.

A unified demand across the strikes, Al-Jazeera reported, was prosecuting the corrupt managers. This comes amid continued demands for the impeachment of the Suez governor.

A trade unionist source in Suez had told me last week that the Suez Governor is not even in Suez, and had to escape in the protection of the army. It was rumored then the army had arrested him, but he wasn’t. And he tried to continue managing the affairs of the town via telephone from somewhere outside the town.

This governor is widely hated by the Suez citizens who accuse him of corruption and of massacring protesters during the uprising. There is no accurate figure for how many died in Suez, but it’s safe to say the biggest numbers of casualties took place in that province.

Hence you can imagine how the Suez people feel about the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ decision to reinstate “temporarily” the governors in office, till the “civilian elected government is shaped” god knows when.

#Jan25 #SidiBouzid Domino Effect: Anti-government protests in Algeria

Posted on By 3arabawy

Via Reuters:

Thousands of police in riot gear blocked off the center of Algeria’s capital on Saturday and stopped government opponents from staging a protest march that sought to emulate Egypt’s popular revolt.
Small groups of demonstrators angry at President Abdelaziz Bouteflika gathered in May 1 Square in the center of Algiers shouting “Bouteflika out!.” They waved newspaper front pages reporting Friday’s overthrow of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak.
But riot police hemmed them in, stopping them from carrying out a plan to march through the city. Other protesters trying to reach the square found their way blocked and at least one of the protest organizers was arrested.
“It is a state of siege,” said Abdeslam Ali Rachedi, a university lecturer and government opponent.
After about three hours, hundreds of people left the square quietly, with police opening up gaps in their cordon to let them through. Some 200 young men from a poor neighborhood nearby stayed on the square. Some threw objects at police.
Mubarak’s resignation and last month’s overthrow of Tunisia’s leader have electrified the Arab world and led many to ask which state could be next in a region with an explosive mix of authoritarian rule and popular anger.
Widespread unrest in Algeria could have implications for the world economy because it is a major oil and gas exporter. But many analysts say a revolt is unlikely because the government can use its energy wealth to resolve most grievances.