Mubarak’s release is one of many police officers and criminals already freed under both SCAF and Morsy. The judicial system in Egypt isn’t apolitical, there is no neutrality here; what would one expect Mubarak’s men and system trying Mubarak do?
On the other hand, Morsy’s idea of ‘change’ in the judiciary during his one year of power was replacing Mubarak’s men with his own under the same corruption, but serving MB’s interest instead of the old regime.
Now, with Sisi’s counter-revolutionary mandate, it is clear that the release of Mubarak is the beginning of many old-regime comebacks; emergency law is only the tip of the iceberg.
The conditions under which Mubarak was released; curfew, emergency law, Sisi’s mandate ‘to fight terrorism’ are all not a coincident to the timing for Mubarak’s release even if he was eventually going to be found ‘not guilty’ and released in this monkey trial.
This is more of a proof that we are facing a counter-revolutionary mandate for the return of the old regime. While the very guilty Muslim Brothers are used as scapegoats, the criminal SCAF is leading counter-revolution smartly and viciously.
Mubarak, Tantawy, Morsy, Sisi; your day will come and revolutionary justice will be served!
Clashes at the Pro-Morsy sit-in in Rabaa resulted in at least 65 deaths (according to health ministry) and 100s injured from attacks by police using the usual excessive tear gas, live bullets, and birdshots, same as the police always used against revolutionaries in all massacres across the 2.5 years of the revolution. This time it came after a mandate “the people of Egypt” gave to Sisi measured by the mass demonstrations on 26 July, of which thankfully i refused to take part. It also came after Safwat Hegazy, one of the leaders at Rabaa sit-in decided to escalate the sit-in by taking it as far as the entrance of the 6 Oct Bridge on Nasr St building a rock wall to block the road pushing forward all the foot soldiers of the MB for the battle sacrificing as he was no where to be seen at the frontline of the battle field.
Even though MB have been in bed with SCAF and police especially in the year of Morsy, i will never justify police killing other citizens while at the same time i will never forgive Morsy who had one year to show any sign that he is willing to change MOI, bring retribution to the martyrs, fulfill any demands of the revolution, or even keep any promise he himself made. If anything, the tear gas and bullets that killed MB supporters was probably shipped/delivered under Morsy to be used against us. On the contrary, Morsy replaced Mubarak’s men with his own or at least attempted and did as much he could, and gave an award to Tantawi (head of SCAF) whom ironically the MB now are denouncing. The MB have accused revolutionaries of being spies of the west, thugs, “bendetta”, you name it defending the very same SCAF they are now want to rage war upon, not to mention the extensive deals they struck with the US administration to stay in power and force the neo-liberal economic agenda through IMF loan shoving it down people’s throats.
If you ask me i want nothing but prosecution to all bastards; leaders of the MB and anyone who committed a crime against another citizen, SCAF (the current one and the old one, they are all the same to me) for all massacres they committed in the name of the “national interest” , old regime Mubarak & his men and the police who massacred people since 28 Jan 2011. But even with all this, i wont praise the seeds of fascism and justify the state killing protesters, even if they are labeled terrorists and are in fact armed.
if they are terrorists and armed, then arrest them, prosecute them, but i won’t give up my rights, and embrace fascism, or my humanity in the name of “national security.” It is clear that the mandate is only to justify more crimes of the regime while letting the real perpetrator be the victims while over 14 officers have been restored to state security. It is not a mandate to “crack down on terrorists”, it is a mandate to crack down on the revolution as a whole. Those who are cheering were never part of the revolution to begin with, those who are apathetic have nothing to offer and are turning a blind eye for the “greater good”, and those who are rejecting both have no choice, but to do so out of principle. Using violence against MB will only make them have more right to use it against anyone and especially the state, which in return will lead to more repression, so even the rights we gained in the past two years will be given up slowly (by default) in the name of the “greater good.” The state will have more “right” to arrest, torture, and even kill in the name of “national security” by “popular support”.
I don’t have a magical solution to end this dichotomy nor do i have the base power to intervene and change the discourse. All I have is my political stance and my principles that come in whole, against SCAF, MB, and Mubarak’s regime, against all perpetrators who killed and all those who hijacked the revolution!
These days last year, we were running from city to city protesting sectarian strife post the deadly bombing of Alexandria church 20 minutes into the new year. We chanted death to Habib El Adly, we demanded justice and to hold those in power accountable for not protecting churches, and repressing us for asking for our dignity and equality. While crackdowns on Tunisian revolutionaries were taking place, activists in Egypt were watching closely hoping for victory for what was known then as the #Sidibouzid up-rise. As fellow Arabs calling for freedom, we stood in solidarity with Tunisians in their fight hoping the domino effect would hit us soon and save us from our dictatorship misery. On January 2nd, we called for a stand with candles in Talaat Harb sq in solidarity with Tunisians that soon enough turned into a protest against police and sectarianism. The stand was held by only tens of supporters and was shortly raided by state police, telling us no one can stand here, four of my friends got arrested while Ramy Raoof and I ran down on Talaat Harb st escaping police after my phone was almost broken by a police officer when I was trying to take a video.
We regrouped with more supporters on the way, and we marched down the streets of Talaat Harb chanting “To Mohamed tell Bolus, tomorrow Egypt will be Tunisia,” a chant that combined Muslim and Christian unity in the face of sectarianism for a better free Egypt in support of the Tunisian revolution. We marched down Ramsis st and immediately we were met by hundreds of riot police, and finally cordoned for nearly 8 hours without anyone allowed in or out of the cordon for any reason.
Along with Mona Seif, Ramy Raoof, Haitham Mohamedain, Aida Seif, and many other brave souls, we stood there chanting, tweeting, never giving up, and telling those officers, “Tomorrow when the revolution comes, it will put you in prison.” The night ended, we went home, and protested again in Shubra in solidarity with our Christian brothers & sisters at El Massara church sit-in, where I also was cordoned for nearly 10 hours by riot police while thousands clashed with police on Shubra st.
January 7th, the Coptic Christian holiday, was spent differently. Muslims and non-Muslims went to form human chains around churches on midnight for Christians to have a safe mass. Later that day, we stood in black with candles on Kasr El Nile bridge mourning the loss of our Christian brothers and sisters from the Alexandria church bombing.
A year later to think that we had multiple churches attacks, whether in Imbaba in April or Aswan in October, post a revolution that happened only weeks after the kind of solidarity & unity shown post Alexandria church bombing is incomprehensible, but explainable. It is explainable by one reason and one reason only because the regime is still alive and kicking. The people STILL demand the removal of regime. Sectarian strife has been one of the many tools used by the regime to divide and rule people, so it is not a surprise that attacks against minorities do still happen, but unfortunately, they happen at a greater loss and more viciously.
Who can ever forget that the same army who is supposed to protect its civilians could run-over Christians with military tanks? The loss of Mina Daniel and others makes you wonder at what cost will we win this revolution? The answer is clear and seen everyday and in every revolutionary’s eyes in Tahrir willing to die for Egypt to live.
I have no doubt that with this kind of support, courage, and bravery, we will free Egypt from SCAF, which is the same regime that killed and repressed us since 1952. This year, the year of freedom, as I am calling it, will be different and it already has since we started the year celebrating in Tahrir, Muslims & Christians, hand in hand against SCAF. Welcome 2012…
It would be an understatement if one says 2011 was the year of change. The year of revolutions, the year of power of the people, the year of realizing yes we do have the power to overcome and triumph. What has not happened in 2011? Families battles, world disasters, Arab revolutions, global movements, personal struggles & successes, and of course love, all took place in 2011, and sometimes all at once. I saw death, I lived in Tahrir, I witnessed miracles, I went to places never thought were possible, I sprayed graffiti of Khaled Said on the gates of interior ministry, I lived. There are no words that can describe my pride and honor of having been part of the roots of the Egyptian revolution and still fighting for its victory. The days when we protested in tens in a cordon surrounded by thousands of riot police in front of the press syndicate or on the sidewalk somewhere, now seem now only like a small picture in an album book on an old shelf somewhere. From the start of 2011, Alexandria church bombing 20 minutes into the year, this small picture forever changed. People poured into the streets fighting sectarian strife and showing Egyptian unity. Soon enough along came the step-down of Ben Ali, ex-dictator of Tunisia, 10 days later we were in Tahrir demanding the removal of regime, and 18 days further Mubarak, the dictator who terrorized us for decades finally stepped down. The sweetest moment of victory ever short-lived, knowing what we experienced for months after and until now by the extension of Mubarak’s dictatorship under SCAF. So many people around me are disappointed and discouraged with how things are turning out since Mubarak stepped down, but being part of how things were before the revolution makes me so much more hopeful now. I always like to have the big-picture perspective on most events even in my personal life, and what I see now for Egypt is nothing less than greatness and unprecedented achievements in 2011 despite all the massacres and SCAF’s iron fist on Egypt.
Pictures speak louder than words so instead of telling you all the events that made the Egyptian revolutionaries my heroes of 2011. Below is the year of the revolution in pictures highlighting the most powerful images I chose for 2011. This is why there is hope, as long as we are breathing, we will fight for our freedom, social equality, and dignity. We die for freedom, but we live on hope & resistance. May 2012 be the year of freedom. Revolution until victory.
NO MORE FEAR! – Jan28
NDP ON FIRE (for 3 days) – Jan29
The Bastard IS OUT – Feb11
WE RAIDED STATE SECURITY – March5
WE WON’T FORGET OUR MARTYRS – May6
THE BLOOD OF ATTEF YEHYIA – May15
KHALED SAID GRAFFITI ON MOI – Jun6
BATTLE FOR MARTYRS – June28
WE ARE BACK IN TAHRIR, WON’T GIVE UP! – July8 sit-in
ARMY RAID ON TAHRIR – Aug1: Ramadan 1st
FLAGMAN – Aug21
ONE DAY REV – Sept9
MASPERO MASSACRE – Oct9
NOVEMBER UPRISING – Nov19
OCCUPY CABINET – Dec16
There so much more ..but one video says it all. SCAF MUST BE EXECUTED IN 2012!!!
With all the painful images above, I am not depressed nor worried. I have seen the strength, courage, and bravery of the Egyptian revolutionaries. We never stop fighting, we never give up, we will continue until victory and I have no doubt that we will EXECUTE SCAF.
The families of martyrs started a sit-in in front of Maspero on Friday June 24th demanding the prosecution of police officers engaged in the killing of their sons and daughters during the 18 days of the up-rise since Jan25. The sit-in lasted 5 days. After the Balloon Theater clashes with police, the families decided to end the sit-in empty handed with no media attention whatsoever in the 5 days of the sit-in. I went to the sit-in everyday, and spoke with many of the families there, who come from different cities all over Cairo, and Egypt including Sinai & upper Egypt. The families of martyrs have been under a lot of pressure from police (directly & indirectly) to change their testimonies in return of money, but every single person I spoke with said, “not with all of the world’s money, would I sell my son’s blood.” These families have lost their sons & daughters and all they demand is justice to be served; for every killer to be prosecuted transparently and sufficiently.
What surprised me the most is that without this, what many called “insignificant” sit-in, the now on-going Tahrir sit-in would not have happened this way and the central security forces confrontation in Tahrir the night of June28th would not have happened, which is exactly what’s bringing back the revolution’s momentum. There were many divisions within opposition on what to focus on in this period. Many are focused on writing the constitution first, others favoring parliamentary elections first, and my favorite group, who is focusing on “rebuilding Egypt” by painting the pavement 60 times over. The truth is, there will be no meaningful popular constitution, no real parliament that represents the revolution, and definitely no success in the revolution, IF we, “shabab 25,” don’t focus and win those battles that will make or break this revolution like this one. The families of martyrs battle, in my opinion, is one of many under-supported causes that not only have almost no disagreement on, but most importantly, it directly links all of the demands of the revolution that haven’t been met yet.
The families of martyrs are demanding the cleansing of the judicial branch through the efficient & transparent prosecution of murderers, the cleansing of the state police through holding the corrupted accountable for murder and torture, and the cleansing of media, which is not only ignoring their demands, but also tarnishing the reputation of protesters and jan25 martyrs. We are going back to Tahrir and all squares in Egypt with full force on July 8th, I urge you to join for the revolution, for the martyrs, for Egypt!
Around 6:00 pm I was at the families of martyrs sit-in at Maspero, I found the place somewhat unusually emapty, when I asked, I learned that a group of them together with supporters had left in a march to the honorary celebration of the martyrs at El Balon Theater in Agoza. I wasn’t able to figure out for sure who organized this “celebration” nor why have the families decided to go and leave the sit-in. Soon enough, a group came back from Agoza telling the story and showing me the footage of police attacking the supporters from Maspero after the families & supporters were denied entry into the theater.
The families from Maspero along with supporters went to get into the theater, and they were denied entry by security saying that they are not the families of martyrs, so four supporters jumped the fence, and that’s when the clashes started. Immediately, the police showed up and started firing tear gas and attacking supporters & families of martyrs from Maspero with electric shocks shown in the video above.
I took this footage and went to Aljazeera Arabic, uploaded it, and was promised that they would report it, and left. As I was passing through Tahrir, I saw a group of familiar Tahrir activists saying that they are going to the interior of ministry to protest against the police attacks in Agoza. There were 2 trucks with plain clothed people heading there as well. I wanted to pass first by the CairoTweetUp first then head to MOI, I showed the tweeps the video and left to MOI with @3effat & @Sarrahsworld.
When we got to MOI, clashes had already occurred between protesters and CSF officers with an exchange of rocks throwing. I saw there @norashalaby & @Tahrekshalaby along with other familiar faces. As things were dying down, all of the sudden, I saw the CSF officers marching with sticks in the air towards Tahrir on Mohamed Mahmoud St. The protesters followed them not understanding whom are they running after. I kept asking what is going on? People who were there before me, told me that “they are running after thugs who came and threw rocks at the officers in 2 trucks.” Hmmmm these must have been the same trucks I saw in Tahrir earlier, who are these people? unknown.
We, protesters, ran towards Tahrir, and clashes between us and them, pigs, never stopped since until now (noon June29th). Many were injured, including Noor Ayman @NoorNoor1, who was shot with khartosh in the head< but he is fine, just couple of stitches. One reported dead, Amr Osman. The most disgusting part was the cursing and the words that the CSF pigs were yelling at us while shooting us with tear gas and rock. They were saying, “we will kill you! you deserve death ya awsaakh!” I threw rocks for the first time from the front of the line. I was not afraid. I was ready to die because freedom is not without blood. I got soficated with tear gas like many others including @alaa@Lobna@salmasaid . I left Tahrir to upload the footage that I have and the pictures that I took before my phone, camera, laptop, and flip all batteries went dead. You will find my videos from the night here soon.
Watch my interview with the Guardian this morning about the clashes:
There is a call to stay in Tahrir, few thousands are there already, and more will join tomorrow. Alexandria, Suez, and Port Said also have mass demonstrations. Power of the people. Revolution until victory!!!
Families of martyrs and protesters wait for hours for a trial session that takes about 3 minutes with a verdict of yet another postponement to July 25th. The protesters outside the Tagamooa El Khames court gather and chant aggressively against El Adly calling for “death to the dog Habib El Adly,” the ex-interior minister accused of killings of Jan25 martyrs and being responsible for systematic torture and abuse under the Mubarak regime. The anger towards any police figure was apparent when protesters hurled stones at all the police vans coming out of court and armored police cars carrying the 7 accused in the case. The circus continues with no justice serviced, while families of martyrs continue their sit-in at Maspero demanding 1) The efficient and transparent prosecution of all police involved in killings of martyrs 2) The adequate compensation to all families and those who were injured, 3) For Habib El Adly & Mubarak to be held responsible and tried fast without tampering with the law, and 4) For the policemen who are accused to be put on trial while being off-duty.
Tahrir & Beyond 