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Lesson learned from Egypt: Working and middle class UNITE

Posted: February 1, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Breaking News, Egypt | Tags: |18 Comments

Not a new lesson learned for some of us, but it’s a lesson that others who haven’t learned it yet should take to heart watching Egypt’s middle and working class unite. When the people come together, they cannot be stopped. When they demand their rights be upheld and demand leadership that puts people before profit and corruption and political expedience, they cannot be stopped… via the NY Times Lens (see link for a slideshow of more photos from today):

From Dima Khatib on twitter:

There were around 2 million in #Cairo
Al Jazeera said there were 8 million protesters in ALL of #Egypt. 10% of total population of the country

Another photo from Al Jazeera:

From Al Jazeera English, via twitter:

RT @AJELive: In Tahrir Square people are erecting tents, bringing in blankets, distributing food… for the long haul. http://aje.me/hnB6yp

Here is a bit more detail from the aje.me link to Tuesday’s live blog:

8:27pm Al Jazeera correspondent in Tahrir Square says that people are erecting tent, bringing in blankets, food is being distributed, either for free or at discounted prices, music is being played – so people are expecting to be here for as long as it takes.

Footage of scenes from today, via Al Jazeera producers:

And, from Mona Eltahawy on Democracy Now today below… I have been following Eltahawy’s writing from before the protests in Tunisia and Egypt erupted. She has just been amazing throughout, but if you have the time, go back and read some of her writings and interviews from even before at monaeltahawy.com. Especially this piece which I highlighted in December: “Let me, a Muslim feminist, confuse you”. Eltahawy is extremely eloquent and brings a perspective that is largely missing elsewhere in the Western media.

Here’s Mona on Democracy Now:

18 Comments on “Lesson learned from Egypt: Working and middle class UNITE”

  1. Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
    February 1, 2011 at 6:53 pm

    Here’s an interesting tool from google for following the Egyptian protests… I’m checking it out right now:

    http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/egypt.html

    • dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
      February 1, 2011 at 7:01 pm

      Here’s a present for your eyes!!!

      • Pat Johnson's avatar Pat Johnson says:
        February 1, 2011 at 7:15 pm

        Love the blue! I’d send along one of mine but the entire house is surrounded in white.

        Like Mubarak, the snow just won’t quit!

        • dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
          February 1, 2011 at 7:25 pm

          We had thunderstorms all day long. We need an ark here.

        • dakinikat's avatar dakinikat says:
          February 1, 2011 at 8:46 pm

          I just found out why you got snow … Pat Robertson explains it all!! 😉

          Rev. Pat Robertson sparked controversy in today’s broadcast of his 700 Club program when he claimed that God created the blizzard currently battering the Northeast “to punish Americans who were planning to drive to do something gay.”

          Explaining his theory, Rev. Robertson said, “Because of the bad road conditions the Almighty has made, any gay activities that people were planning on doing will have to be postponed by a day or two.”

          Additionally, he argued, God shut down major airports in the New York area “so that people who were hoping to fly to do something of a gay nature would have to take a train or a bus, so it might be days before the gay thing they were going to do could occur.”

          As for the millions of straight people in New York City who were also grounded by the bad weather, the televangelist said, “I think God probably wonders, if these people are really straight, then what are they doing in New York?”

          In other blizzard-related news, the National Weather Service offered this update: “It’s as white as a Glenn Beck rally out there.”

          http://www.borowitzreport.com/2010/12/28/pat-robertson-snow-is-gods-way-of-punishing-americans-who-were-planning-to-drive-to-do-something-gay-2/

      • Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
        February 1, 2011 at 7:34 pm

        that’s really pretty… and another instance where people unite since non-Brahmin joined with Brahmin who started painting blue.

      • Seriously's avatar Seriously says:
        February 1, 2011 at 11:20 pm

        I’d probably assume that sending a Nor’easter in June would be more likely to get people’s attention and more effective in preventing them from driving to do something gay. That’s why I’m not the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, his plan is so logical it resembles 11th dimensional chess.

      • Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
        February 2, 2011 at 1:45 am

        Hi Seriously 🙂

  2. Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
    February 1, 2011 at 7:30 pm

    phone call with Egyptian blogger Ramy Raoof on Eliot Spitzer CNN right now.

  3. Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
    February 1, 2011 at 7:53 pm

    An indication of how (in)effective Obama’s speech was? :

    RT @jay2the9: “I dont need Obama, I dont need Clinton, I will free Egypt with my mom and dad” – Young Child at Tahrir Square #egypt #jan25

  4. Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
    February 1, 2011 at 7:58 pm

    Neal Mann:

    RT @fieldproducer: Very interesting to see Al Jazeera English has bought the sponsored tweet for the #Egypt search, very clever move.

  5. mjames's avatar mjames says:
    February 1, 2011 at 8:33 pm

    Kudos to all of you for your fine work on this crisis. I’ve been too busy – and still am too busy – to stay abreast on my own. This place affords me the facts. Excellent work. Much appreciated.

  6. Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
    February 1, 2011 at 8:39 pm

    Mona on Al Jazeera English right now saying Obama Admin coming short of siding with the Egyptian people.

    • Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
      February 1, 2011 at 8:41 pm

      says she doesn’t know what backchannel stuff is going on and sounds like Obama is trying to say just enough to side with Egyptian but basically to paraphrase, the message that ends up coming across is US still hedging.

  7. Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
    February 1, 2011 at 9:24 pm

    CNN’s Ben Wedeman, 37 minutes ago:

    All signs are Mubarak regime still using fear of Muslim Brotherhood boogeyman with Egyptians, Obama administration

    31 minutes ago:

    # Only way Muslim Brotherhood can make gains is if Mubarak regime lets them. Brotherhood, regime have a symbiotic relationship.

    33 minutes ago:

    Rent-a-mob outside office shouting at TV reporters “khawana! 3umala!” – “Traitors! Agents!” Regime tactics not changing.

  8. Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)'s avatar Wonk the Vote says:
    February 2, 2011 at 2:29 am

    Saw this being retweeted… Obama should have put this quote on his Oval Office rug:

    “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King Jr.

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