There was a general strike called today all across Egypt to protest the inflation, corruption and general messedupedness in the country and the government's lack of concern - an Egyptian minister stated the other week that Egyptians can live on one pound and a half (less than 20 cents).
The leftist independent newspaper al-badeel claimed that this was the most widespread demonstration in egypt since the 1919 revolution (the 1952 revolution, whether one supports nasser or not, was executed as a coup). for those who can read Arabic, this blog gives blow by blow updates about the events of today.
As for me, I happened to have the honor of tasting the (desperate and pathetic) gangsterism of the regime today. I was walking past Tahrir Square on my way to AUC to meet up with friends and watch the events unfold, when I saw two other colleagues from AUC - Egyptian girls, standing in the middle of the square, chewing up pieces of `aish (egyptian wheat bread) and spitting the pieces out onto passing cars so as to demonstrate the pathetic nature of the situation with bread (see my previous post on bread in Egypt).
I call them the two Sara's and salute them for their courage in doing what they did. The general level of political awareness amongst spoiled AUC brats is pathetic, which makes the two all the more admirable. I came close to them so as to photograph and before I knew it, a bunch of plainclothes goons had grabbed us and dragged us all the way along the street, against our will into a waiting van (unmarked), while someone snatched my camera and the kuffiyeh I was wearing.
We were forced into a van that already had other people in it (all girls) and as soon as we filled it, they drove off to the outskirts of Cairo, yelling at us and threatening us along the way. I tried to use the American citizen card and one of the state security men told me he would throw me off a bridge. We arrived to Medinat al-Bu`uth in the outskirts of Cairo where there were other state security agents waiting for us and they started taking the information of everyone down.
One of the Egyptian women with us was crying hysterically - most of the people arrested had been onlookers or passers-by, news reports say that a lot of random arrests took place, not including the arrests of activists or demonstrators.
Some of the state security guys standing outside the van tried to provoke us by engaging in political discussion, chiding us for disrupting public order etc etc.
There was another guy playing the good cop who said ma`laysh this is our job, to which I responded being thugs is your job? They then made 4 of the women get down claiming they would drop them off somewhere else and drove back with me, Sara & Sara and 2 other women downtown.
We reached Maidan Abideen when they told me to get off. I had managed, from text messaging, to get the US embassy on the phone and it possibly made them want to get rid of me. The fact that they did not take us straight to a station or confiscate anything from us after loading us into the van seems to suggest that their orders were to drive us around for a while and drop each person off in a separate place. I did not want to leave with my friends at least, but they both told me to get off.
After some hesitation I decided to get off, but not before taking down the number of the van, which drove the ass-wipes wild ("you want to start again?"). I still am not sure whether my friends have been released - their mobile phones are off - which means they could have been released without the phones or be still held. If anyone knows anything about the two Sara's whereabouts, please let me know.
Journalists and activists I spoke to are telling me that they should most likely be released tonight or tomorrow morning early. And please, spread the news that Egypt is boiling under the lid of a pathetic, desperate, molding regime that will do anything, shamelessly, to stay in power. A regime that is scared of two people throwing breadcrumbs truly deserves to be called pathetic, especially given that it gets its breadcrumbs from the scraps of US aid.
Update: I just received word that my two friends are still being held, but doing OK.
Update at 2:39 AM: According to above-mentioned blog, both Sara's have been released. If anyone has any other information about other detainees please call the hotline of the blog: +20-118361000 or email 6april08@gmail.com.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Egyptian State Goons Round Up Activists and Me
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11 comments:
Hi there,
I think your blog is interesting. I would like to invite you to join our new online community at polzoo.com. We are a user generated political editorial and social network. We also choose from amongst our own bloggers to be featured on the front page. I think your voice would be a great addition to our site.
Polzoo
I am sorry for the criticism because i know it is not easy, but it is really pathetic that you used your passport to protect you. I was in Cairo in 2003 and there were many arrests of people I knew, and today I look back on it ashamed that they had not arrested me as well. At that time it was mostly coincidence that those next to me were arrested and I was not, but you were actually arrested and you used your position as an American to defend you. I think that is disgusting. Especially as you were with friends at the time. Where is your solidarity? Why didn't you just wait until it was over to call the embassy? Honestly, what you did was quite disgusting. Especially in a situation like Egypt. It's ironic that you call AUC students brats, yet you acted just as they would under the conditions. They would have called their daddies, and you did the functional equivalent by calling the embassy.
Just on a practical level, had you been formally arrested you would have given additional credibility to reports of how repressive Mubarak is. As sad as it is to say, an American arrested is more important than an Egyptian. Further, "human rights" groups make a special point to emphasize cases that are particularly interesting, as yours would have been. As it stands, what you did was prove that there is a global apartheid between the rich and poor world, and that americans are given special treatment. I would be utterly ashamed had i done what you did.
Like i said, I understand the situation was tough, and you were also under pressure at the time, but you made an extremely bad decision and you should be ashamed.
Anon 10:50:
Just keep in mind that your judgement is pretty arrogant in and of itself- you assume several things, not the least of which is that other people have the same to lose as you, and that the US passport is automatically going to be more powerful than the Egyptian police.
OK... "Anonymous"
Dont be a fool. State repression is actually REAL, my silly friend. One doesn't know whether they'll be thrown away for good, kidnapped, raped and tortured, etc. and you act as if you'd be so brave to take a chance at it? hmmmm.
Imagine yourself in an unmarked van being screamed at and threatened by irate secret security people being driven around to God knows where... you'd do the same my silly friend, when faced with real danger, your "solidarity" having-ass would be shaking like a tweeker.
I know. Ive been there, only within the unfortunate company of the Israelis. And I did the same exact thing- pulled my america card- and that did nothing to lessen the "solidarity" I had with my fellow Palestinian detainees.
I am "utterly ashamed" and quite frankly, disgusted by your callous, unthoughtful comment. Sometimes, my silly friend, there is no room for little heros, and what sunbula said to those thugs was more heroic than your wannabe superman bullshit. This is real repression dumbass, not an anti-war protest in New York.
So... Mr. (or Mrs.) Hero, think before you write, no matter "how hard it is."
tarik
and next time show your name. be a "hero" who has the courage to make themselves known.
Anon 10:50, I generally try to avoid responding to anonymous posters, but I wanted to quickly say that it strikes me as odd that you would look at this situation, and somehow find a way to immediately place blame on Sunbula. Whatever your thoughts are on whether Sunbula should have attempted to resist detention (99.999% of people would attempt to resist detention in this situation), how do you find such "disgust" in resisting arrest, yet pass no comment on the arbitrary and pointless arrests taking place (and more significantly, the state policies and polity that lead to repression, poverty, etc)?
Anon, I don't want to turn this into a gangbang, but you're speaking from an extremely high horse here. You say you there in 2003 and that you were 'ashamed' that you weren't arrested...until you actually experience being arrested by a brutal, repressive regime (or occupation), don't act the hero.
The issue here isn't how one resists arrest by an oppressive regime, its the oppression itself.
Look, I even recognize my own bad form in criticizing the person who posted. And i could explain further the situation I experienced that was very similar to that experienced by sunbula. In fact, in my case I did end up beaten by egyptian police while trying to block my friends from getting beaten at a police riot at the Journalist's Syndicate. Also, in 2003 when i experienced similar conditions to sunbula, we had riots for several days and I had a chance to act more respectfully (in my opinion) to the people who could not hide behind their passports like i could. All I am saying here is that I was personally ashamed of my own actions and I was putting out my opinion on what sunbula reports about hers. Also, I recognize how had the situation is. But i still find it shameful that she would abandon her friends by calling the embassy to defend her. Overall, her actions were praise worthy to be in that situation at all, and to be aware of the political and social conditions that lead to them.
As for the Egyptian government, They are cruel and vicious. They are disgusting and pathetic. They make me sick in every way. But I honestly was not talking about them in my comment and that is why i didn't criticize them.
I apologize for being Anonymous as I say stuff like this.
By the way, I just want to make clear that my statements were not intended to be about myself and i don't want to make further comments about myself. Also, I was explicitly saying that i don't consider myself a hero.
And we all fear things like being arrested (and especially when you could easily be beaten or worse, like is very possible in Egypt). My point is that we have to set up in hard times like these. I did not step up, and sunbula did not either. It's too bad.
i tried to get the embassy on the phone while we were still in the van so as to unsettle those dudes.
#2 - they wanted to get rid of me sooner or later, even though i wanted to stay with them. even if i had done something ridiculous to stay arrested they would've separated me and put me with the men. so please get off your high ass horse./
priveleged status can be used for a good thing, too, anon. Even tho sunbala used privelege to get out of potential harm, he/she didnt just go hang at the beach with a bag of leb. His/her privelege was used to speak out, seems like non stop since her/his release. Who knows how this chain reaction might have helped those arrested in the end. Maybe it's a different type of solidarity than yours but it's still solidarity.
PS: I would be greatly honored to be one of the few American citizens to have a state security file opened in Egypt!
that sums it up there
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