Saturday 19 November 2011

50,000 demand democracy in Egypt




PRESSURE is building in Egypt for a second revolution to rid the country of the SCAF military regime.

A massive demonstration of 50,000 people was held on Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square, in which protesters from all backgrounds came together to demand the democracy they thought they had won in January this year.

But a stark reminder of how little some things have changed came after the rally with the arrival of riot police to dismantle tents and force the remaining people out of the area.

The scenes also have huge resonance with the attacks on Occupy camps in the USA, making it even clearer that we are witnessing the same system oppressing the same people - all across the world.

Reports Aljazeera: "Friday's protest drew political parties and religious movements of different stripes, though the loudest voices in the square came from Islamists, including hardline Salafis and the comparatively moderate Muslim Brotherhood.



"Liberal, leftist and Islamist parties and groups such as the April 6 Movement, founded in solidarity with labour protests, participated in the rally. Islamists joined with their call to put an end to military trials of civilians, which have led to the incarceration of thousands in proceedings described by human rights activists as opaque and unfair."

It quoted Anan Zuhairi, a 26-year-old doctor, as saying she was not with any party or political movement but that she joined the protest because 'nothing has been resolved since the revolution.

"'Nothing we revolted for has happened. Emergency law is still not canceled. People are being taken out of their homes. Our demands have remained the same except they've become more," she said. "We just want democracy and freedom. The people with opinions are all in prisons."