Where: Embassy of Egypt, 270 Bourke Street, Muckelneuk, Pretoria
When: 14:30, Friday, 4 February 2011

The heroic masses of Egypt have risen up against the decades-old corrupt dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak. Taking inspiration from the intifada in Tunisia, Egyptian protesters are demanding: Bread, Jobs and Dignity! They are calling for an end to corruption and unemployment. These demands resonate with us and we support them. Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians are on the streets defying a curfew. A general strike has been called and a million people are expected on the streets of Egypt tomorrow.

Dictators in their palaces and the capitalists in the boardrooms are trembling. They are afraid of this exemplary lesson of People's Power and the influence it will have throughout the world. This is not only an Arab revolution: This is a revolution for all of humanity.

The anger of the people is also directed at the support successive United States administrations have given to shore up dictators like Mubarak in the region and their collaboration with Israel and Israeli occupation. Mubarak's role as a vital strategic partner in the Israel-US-Egyptian axis also facilitates the illegal siege of Gaza by closing the borders between Egypt/Palestine and thus sealing the 1.5 million Gazans into the world's largest open air prison-denying essential access to medical treatment, education, food, water and the tools to rebuild a society completely broken down by Apartheid Israel's violent and racist ethnic cleansing campaign.

As South Africans watch the unfolding events in the north of our continent, it reminds us too of our own uprisings: Sharpeville, Soweto, Langa... and spurs us on to express our solidarity.

Legions of commentators and politicians have declared that mass democratic action is a relic of the past, but events unfolding in Tunisia and Egypt have proved them all wrong. Making shoddy unmandated compromises behind closed doors, as the recent ‘Palestine Papers’ have shown, has wholly discredited the US, Israel, their fixers like Tony Blair and puppets like Mubarak. Instead, mass democratic action is bringing about real change not foreign intervention nor Al-Quida. Mass democratic action can move mountains!

Over the next weeks, a number of activities will be held in solidarity with these struggles throughout South Africa. These activities will kick off with a demonstration outside the Egyptian embassy in Pretoria, with South Africans repeating the calls of our Egyptian comrades: “Bread! Jobs! Education! Dignity! Democracy! Freedom of Expression!

For more information, call:
Samantha Hargreaves – 083 384 0088
Steve Faulkner – 082 817 5455
Melissa Hoole – 084 574 2674
Salim Vally – 082 8025936

Map Link

Please pass on – send sms’, emails to everyone you know. Highlight the
situation and inform others of Friday’s demonstration. Please help us
raise funds for transport to the demonstration. Any and all donations
will be greatly appreciated.