DAY OF ANGER

A planned nationwide strike and series of demonstrations by pro-democracy activists in Cairo fell flat as protesters were faced with overwhelming security forces. Dubbed ‘The Day of Anger’, organisers had planned for full scale strikes and demonstrations all over Cairo on the 6th April, in commemoration of the 6th April strikes of 2008.

In preparation, vast numbers of riot police lined the streets and campuses of Cairo, amongst them plain clothes officers guarding landmarks and major buildings. Activists were warned away as they attempted to gather. Around three hundred gathered at the Journalist’s Syndicate building, where they were penned in by armies of riot police manning the gates.

Events were far more volatile around the Ain Shams Universities, where riot police apprehended protesters calling for educational reforms. Despite attempts by the authorities to distract students with various concerts and sporting events there was enough of a turnout to result in fifty three arrests, as well as eight injuries, although these were predominantly inflicted by opposing groups amongst the students.

The turnout overall was weak in contrast with the April strike of last year, a disheartening fact for Egypt’s steadily growing underground protest movement. This can be attributed mostly to the sheer scale of pre-emptive action taken by the government to quell the strike. Not only did the police vastly outnumber the protesters, there had also been numerous key figures arrested in the days leading up to the strike. Amongst these were left-wing activists and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation that currently has the largest numbers of any opposition group.

A variety of protest groups were involved in the action, amongst these were the Kefaya group (Arabic meaning ‘enough’), officially known as The Egyptian Movement For Change, the grass roots coalition encompasses amongst its members a diverse spectrum of political views, ranging from socialist liberals to devout Islamists. They are all united in their vehement opposition toward president Hosni Mabarak.

Mabarak’s government has been in power for over twenty seven years. He naturally maintains that his election ‘victories’ have been perfectly legitimate - but the people of Egypt have long tired of his ploys. Moreover he has kept Egypt in a state of ‘emergency rule’ for twenty five of those years, allowing the state the right to imprison individuals for an indefinite period of time without a trial.

There is without a doubt a culture of fear widespread amongst the Egyptian people - protesting is illegal, with hefty punishment wrought on detained dissidents. The emergency laws allow for arbitrary arrest, whilst the atmosphere pervading these arrests allows for police atrocities to keep going unheeded. Meanwhile Egypt’s constitution allows little leeway for an alternative government. In your dreams New Labour...