Category: Blog

Qale’t el-Kabsh slum residents demonstrate in front of parliament

Posted on By 3arabawy

Today, Qale’t el-Kabsh slum residents took to the streets again in downtown Cairo, demonstrating in front of the parliament in el-Qasr el-Eini Street.

I was in downtown around noon, when I received unconfirmed news that new clashes broke out between the slum residents who still haven’t been compensated by the government for their burnt down houses. The unconfirmed news also included the killing of a woman by the police. I was also told the slum dwellers were going to carry the woman’s body and demonstrate in Tahrir Sq.

I waited for roughly half an hour in the square, without witnessing anything, but then I assumed may be the protesters decided to try demonstrating in front of the parliament like last time. I started running to el-Qasr el-Eini St, and indeed the traffic had come to halt as a group of slum residents managed to assemble in front of the parliament.

The police was PANICKING, and tried to disperse the reporters and the curious citizens who approached the crowd. But then they left the reporters alone.

It turned out no one was killed. A woman had been severely injured by the police while protesting earlier in the day in front of the Red Crescent relief building, where the local municipality should be receiving the requests for the compensations and the alternative housing schemes. Frustrated by sleeping in the open air day after day since she lost her house, the woman started shouting, so she was attacked by the police, who beat her up. Blood covered her dress. After going into a coma, the residents thought she died, so they vented their anger at the police and government, and marched with her body in El-Qasr el-Eini St, till they assembled in front of the parliament.

The residents accused the local municipality of corruption. “Only those who pay LE5000 as a bribe receives the government-provided alternative housing,” said one of the demonstrators. The same figure was repeated to me several times by other demonstrators.

There were State Security and Qasr el-Nil Police Station officers present. They were taking down the names of the women present in the demo, claiming they will look into their cases and make sure they were prioritized. Some of the women volunteered their names, but others refused saying the police wants to find out their names only to take their men as hostages, like they did before.

Qale't el-Kabsh Slum residents protest in front of parliament تجمهر منكوبي قلعة الكبش أمام مجلس الشعب

I’ll upload more video clips later.

Prosecutor orders Moneim’s release

Posted on By 3arabawy

MABROOOOOOOOUK!

More details soon!

UPDATE: It’s confirmed. The Public Prosecutor has ordered Moneim’s release today!

It’s a great day for all those who care about freedom in Egypt. I personally wanna thank every single person who was involved in the solidarity campaign. If it wasn’t for the support Moneim received from his activists inside and outside the country, our blogo-brother would have stayed in Mubarak’s Gulag for months, if not years… and he could have been tortured again.

Let’s not forget their are other political detainees still left behind in prison. They include students, doctors, engineers, teachers–repectable citizens of this country, who dared to raise their voices against the corrupt regime that rules us.

I know also we all want to celebrate, but let’s postpone this till Moneim is actually free. Remember, you don’t just get released from prison right away. They refer detainees to State Security HQ first, then they take them to their local police stations. Last year, our friends Alaa, Malek, and other Kefaya detainees were beaten up in the police stations prior to their release.

We’ll always stand united against Mubarak’s dictatorship.

Labor updates

Posted on By 3arabawy

Yesterday 1500 workers went on strike at the privately-owned Iron Industries factory in the 6th of October City, over allowances and work conditions. The company is owned by Unsi Sawiris. The strike started by the end of the first work shift at 3pm and was joined by the workers of the second shift, lasting till 8pm. The strike ended with the management promising the workers they’ll respond to their demands with the beginning of the financial year (end of July).

Also yesterday, microbus drivers went on strike in Qalyoubiya, north of Cairo, protesting fines imposed by the province governor, while in the western oasis of Fayoum around 1,000 farmers demonstrated in front of the Fayoum Sugar Factory protesting the company’s delay in buying their crop.

Today, the workers at the state-owned Light Means of Transportation Production Company (which assembles motorcycles and bikes) staged a sit-in at 4pm. The industrial action ended around 7pm.

I don’t know the number of the workers involved (but I think they may be around one thousand). You can click on the banner below to download a statement by the Workers Coordination Committee which includes the workers’ demands.

The WCC had put this statement earlier in the day when the sit-in started. I learned later from a socialist activist that the sit-in ended around 7pm with the govt meeting some of the workers’ demands. Still no details available.

Meanwhile, the Mansoura-España Garments Company workers factory occupation continues. The workers do not trust the deal reached between the MPs, Labor Ministry and the bank owners, so they are continuing their sit-in fearing Al-Masraf Al-Muttahid Bank will shut down their source of income.