Appeal for solidarity from Bahrain

Comrades at various leftist parties and organizations

Bahraini people went out on the streets on the Feb. 14 on the 10th Anniversary of the National Action Charter . The national reform document on which people have voted in a referendum with 98.4% for it in 2001. On this date, the people decided to demand the royal regime to start implement the political reforms it promised. The demands state that to start effective procedures towards reforming the political regime, combatting corruption, abolishing racist and sectarian discrimination in Bahrain, guaranteeing fair distribution of wealth. And these protests were faced with a crazy reaction from the Bahraini authorities, the number of casualties till now is 7 so far, and this repressive campaign continues to use live ammunition, blocking entrances to a number of villages and towns, raiding and attacking homes in addition to the spreading of armed military tanks in roads.

This repressive attack is considered abandonment from the government of the reform project which guaranteed to the people their right to protest as per the 2002 Bahraini constitution.

Henceforth, we call on all Arab and International organizations to begin a protesting campaign to expose these practices of Bahraini authorities and to protest in front of Bahraini Embassies and UN headquarters in their countries and to maintain contact with Rights organizations regarding this matter. We also call on them to send denunciation letters to those embassies or to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs against these policies. The Bahraini people awaits your courageous stance for its struggle to its legitimate right to live in freedom, justice and dignity.Our path you know is rough and filled with thorns, death on its sides... but we will march on.

Please send your solidarity appeal to:

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (MMFF)

PO Box 547

Fix Line +973-17227555 +973-17227555

Fax +973-17212603

Fax +973-17210575

Fax +973-17225107

MINISTRY OF CABINET AFFAIRS (MMCC)

PO Box 1000, 26141

Fix Line +973-17223366

Fax +973-17211363

Blog resting for now...

To all old and new readers that might have returned to this blog recently: The blog is resting and I'm currently blogging about Egypt (mainly) in Swedish here. Check out the blogroll to the left for some interesting blogs on Egypt in English...

Solidarity with Youssef Shaaban

Activists will demontrate today in solidarity with journalist Youssef Shaaban who was detained while covering a demonstration on Friday:

Solidarity with Yucef Shabaan and all the detainees

The popular democratic movement for change (7ashd),

The Justice and Freedom Movement,

The Free Front for Peaceful Change

The 6^th of April movement

Invite you to join their open sit in

Wednesday at 7 p.m.

At Press Syndicate

Freedom for Yucef Shabaan

Freedom for all Detainees

Workers to protest privatization, demand minimum wage

Here's a (very) quick translation of parts of a statement (via Hossam al-Hamalawy) being circulated by several workers' groups in Egypt, calling for a demonstration in downtown Cairo on April 3: 

 

"We want to reach to poverty line

Stop the politics of privatization

Under these slogans, the labour and civil groups that have signed this statement will organize a protest meeting outside the cabinet, at 11 am on April 3, demanding a minimum monthly wage of no less than 1200 egyptian pounds, to be raised annually according to the rate of inflation, as well as an end to the waste of public funds through the politics of privatization."

(The statement goes on to criticize the national council of wages - consisting of representatives of the government, unions, and business organizations - for not fulfilling its role and making sure that wages keep pace with prices...) 

"Down with the politics of making workers poor, destroying Egyptian industry, and sacrificing workers rights in order to attract foreign capital - that never comes because of corruption, political tyranny, the imposition of emergency laws and the absence of democracy. 

What has the politics of selling and wasting public funds in the name of privatization brought except more destruction through kicking the workers out and halting production in order to sell the land of the companies and factories, after first using it as a security to obtain loans from the banks?

We call for all wage workers in Egypt to join the demonstration in order to defend our right to life.

Workers Preparatory Committee

The independent tax collectors union URETA

Postal workers committee 

Mahalla Textile Workers League

The Egyptian center for economic and social rights

Journalists without rights

Sons of the earth

Tadamon

Al-Hilali foundation for freedom

Workers union of Suez

Railway Workers

Workers Solidarity Committee

Nasr Car Workers

The Workers preparatory committee in Alexandria"

The Regime is Responsible

The legacy of Mohamed Hosni Mubarak: After decades of "emergency laws" the Egyptian state still can't prevent things like this from happening, because it is too busy maintaining a devastating siege on the Palestinians of Gaza. Tragic and disgusting.

Egyptian police arrest local journalists during Gaza protest

Hossam el-Hamalawy reports that three journalists working for Al-Masry Al-Youm was arrested today while covering a pro-Palestine protest in front of the french embassy in Cairo. Follow Hossam on twitter for updates. 

Free union celebrate anniversary, State unions withdraws from international federation

Two days ago, members of the independent URETA-union for real estate tax collectors gathered to celebrate the opening of their headquarter and the one year anniversary of the founding of the first free union in Egypt since 1957. The celebration was attended by the regional secretary of the Public Services International, which accepted URETA as a member last spring and has criticized interference in the work of URETA by state-controlled union officials. 

Apparently, this visit has now provoked three state-controlled unions in Egypt to withdraw from PSI in protest against recognition of the "illegal" URETA union. State union officials explain that they are not against the right of free association (of course) but only against "interference in the internal affairs of Egypt," something every "honorable Egyptian would reject." 

Also, on December 26 the new general union for employees of tax- and customs authorities will be officially included in the Egyptian Trade Union Federation as the 24th general union in Egypt; a move that should be understood as part of the ongoing attempts by the ETUF to marginalize the free URETA union.