Tag: students

PM Nazif posts comment on Trotskyist blog!

Posted on By 3arabawy

PM Nazif is following Comrade Mostafa’s blog! The Daily News Egypt reports:

Egypt’s blogging community was stupefied to find a comment by Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif on a blog known for its opposition to the government.
One of the most heavily-criticized government officials in the blogsphere, Nazif confirmed that it was indeed he who posted the comment on “Ala Esm Masr” (In Egypt’s Name), a blog with a noticeably socialist tone run by Mustafa Mahmoud.
Since the post appeared on Aug. 5, the blog has witnessed an unprecedented level of activity.
In his comment, Prime Minister Nazif lauded the dialogue between youth in the blogosphere and the way they freely express their opinions on the political and economic issues facing Egypt.
“Opinions raised in the blogs can be useful in directing the country’s general policies [and] that is what encouraged me to follow and participate with you,” he said.
“You and your colleagues represent…a promising future with more democracy,” he added, addressing the writer of the blog.
Readers of the blog were stunned to find Nazif’s comment, and many were skeptical of the true identity of the person who made it.
One commenter who called themselves Gabhet El-Tahyees El-Sha’biya (The Public Nonsense Front) asked for proof that the comment was actually made by the prime minister. On the other hand, “anonymous” said that the writing style of the PM’s comment is similar to the one used by government officials, expressing satisfaction that their voices are being heard by the government.
Nazif confirmed his participation in the online discussion to Al-Masry Al-Youm, saying that he wanted to “clarify misunderstandings.”

Blogger remains detained without trial

Posted on By 3arabawy

Michaela Singer reports:

A student blogger has been detained for 15 days without trial after “turning himself in” to security.
Muhammad Rafat Bayoumi, mass communication student at Cairo University, was not at home when security raided his house around midnight on July 21.
Lawyers acting on behalf of Bayoumi told Daily News Egypt that security confiscated the student’s hard drive and took various political party pamphlets that the student had collected.
“Bayoumi was at the movies when security came to the house. They warned his father that if his son didn’t show up at State Security headquarters the following morning he would ‘experience the power of the police, and they would come back using force,’” said lawyer Sayid Abdel-Ghani.
According to a statement released by ‘The board for defense of Arab Students’ Rights’ security entered Bayoumi’s house to arrest him for alleged acts of public agitation and disturbing the peace, as well as calling for strikes.
“Security claimed he had called readers of his blog to launch public demonstrations to commemorate the July 23 revolution,” Waleed El-Masry, coordinator of The Committee for Arab Students’ Rights, told Daily News Egypt.
Bayoumi, author of personal blog ‘Al-Matabat,’ went to State Security headquarters the following day, where he was sent straight to Tora Prison.
Two days later he was presented to the public prosecution office, where he was given a 15-day detention.
On Aug. 4, after 15 days in prison, he was again presented to the public prosecution office, where his sentence was renewed for another 15 days.

1976

Posted on By 3arabawy
[25-11-1976] Leftist students demonstrate outside the parliament building to protest the high cost of living and Sadat's economic policies. Two months later, the country was to witness a national uprising on 18 and 19 January 1977, that was crushed by Sadat's army [Photo by Popperfoto, Courtesy of the UK Socialist Worker Archives]
[25-11-1976] Leftist students demonstrate outside the parliament building to protest the high cost of living and Sadat’s economic policies. Two months later, the country was to witness a national uprising on 18 and 19 January 1977, that was crushed by Sadat’s army [Photo by Popperfoto, Courtesy of the UK Socialist Worker Archives]

Kamal Khalil, recalling the 25 November 1976 Cairo University march which he led as an Engineering graduate student and a communist organizer:

The Nasserists and the Communists were due to march on that day. But there were divisions in every faction.. both among the Nasserists themselves and the Communists. The Workers Communist party activists had announced they were not joining the march. My group’s cell leaders back then, the “Communist Party-8th of January,” voted 3 to 2 against joining the march. I decided to break the organizational orders, and agitate for the protest by noon. We had drafted together with the Nasserists, the “November Progressive Document”, where we stated the demands of the student movement against the reconciliation with Israel, the repression of the opposition and the “Open-Door” Policy [Sadat’s neoliberal reforms]. The original plan, before the student leaders started hesitating, was that we were to mobilize for a march on the parliament, and hand the “Document” to the parliamentarians. The march started by only 200 students, but soon swelled to more than 3000 and those who were hesitating, ended up joining when it became clear the Central Security Forces were not going to obstruct the march.
We camped outside the parliament, at el-Qasr el-Eini. Back then it was two-way street. One thing I’ll never forget was a bus driver who was on the opposite direction. We started chanting: “El-Ta’ayeed el-Tam el-Tam, li Edrab el-Na’l El-‘Am! [Our full solidarity for the transport workers’ strike]”. The bus drivers in Cairo had gone on strike earlier in the summer, bringing the capital to halt. The bus driver stopped his bus, and leaned out of the side window, to hug the demonstrators and kept on honking. A student delegation went up to deliver the “Document” to the parliamentarians. Of course their response was “sure we’ll look into that”.. but nothing happened. In less than two months, the intifada broke out.