The industrial action will last for ten days, and is backed by the Press Syndicate head Khaled el-Balshy.

The journalists already went on one-day and three-day strikes in the previous months.

On Sunday evening, around 2000 protesters marched against the proposed law by Essam Sharaf’s cabinet banning strikes and protests. We started from the Press Syndicate in Abdel Khaleq Tharwat street, marched through Maarouf St, Champlion St, then Tahrir Square, finally ending up in front of the parliament and the ministerial cabinet headquarters.

Participants in the march ranged from independent trade unionists and labor activists, to youth activists from different organizations. The chants were quite militant, taking on Field Marshal Tantawi and the army. Protesters called for overthrowing Tantawi, accusing him of being a dictator, crony, part of the Mubarak’s regime. At some point, the chants were even calling for executing Tantawi and Mubarak in public squares. The demonstrators also unleashed their wrath on the military police denouncing the torture of activists in the Egyptian Museum and Military Prison. The state-run media also was the target of the chants, with persistent calls for purging it from NDP elements.

This coming Friday will hopefully witness a big turn out for the protests called to purge the state-run media. And in the meantime, we still have to pursue our fight for free unions and taking Tahrir to the factories.

A march will be organized on Sunday 27 January, 6pm, from the Press Syndicate to the ministerial cabinet headquarters to denounce the new law banning strikes and protests.

State run journalists and media workers stage protests in front of the Press Syndicate, demanding the impeachment of corrupt NDP-affiliated editors and managers.