EGYPT: A new call for national strike
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Despite the Egyptian government’s violent reaction last year, a group of young activists has renewed its call for a national strike next month to protest inflation, corruption and political repression.
The opposition group calling itself the April 6 Youth Movement has called for a strike on April 6, the same day a similar call was made last year that culminated in a riot in a Delta province in which one person was killed and about 100 wounded.
The strike call was reportedly endorsed by a number of opposition parties, including the well-known Kefaya group.
Although the group’s call was not heeded by significant number of Egyptians last year, it sent shock waves across the country and damaged the reputation of President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
Online technology played a significant role in spreading the word; the message was propagated through Facebook and scores of blogs. This time, opposition groups have relied on the same tools.
The statement circulated online read:
“Egypt witnesses a state of public outrage in light of the terrible economic conditions that the lay citizen faces. ... The main problem that hinders the progress of this country and the achievement of a reasonably decent life for the people is corruption and despotism that were spread by the incumbent regime. [The regime] sucks the resources of this country, drains productive assets, exercises political oppression and systematically rigs elections. ... This is why we are calling on the Egyptian people ... to hold a national strike on April 6 as a step on the way towards peaceful civil disobedience, which we believe is the only way amenable to change and salvation.”
Last year, the government responded brutally to the call by clashing with protesters in the city of Mahalla and rounding up dozens of activists and bloggers.
In recent years, Egypt has experienced several strikes and protests organized by workers, doctors, teachers, universities professors and pharmacists to protest skyrocketing inflation and low wages. Last month, the inflation rate was a reported 14%, which may place more Egyptians below the poverty line.
The statement listed a number of demands, including: salary adjustment, constitutional reforms to put a curb on the number of terms that a president can serve and the halt of exportation of natural gas to Israel.
— Noha El-Hennawy in Cairo