Saturday, July 30, 2005

Plainclothes police and/or hired "help" pounce on a demonstrator. "We don't want another six years, we want democracy. Today's events show that this regime is a regime of fear," said Binyamin Samuel, a young Christian supporter of the Kifaya movement. "I was two years old when Mubarak came to power. I want to see somebody else rule this country now," he said. By the end of the day, the Kifaya leaders were released but some two dozen youth remain detained, including the activist Wael Khalil of the Socialist Studies Centre. Kifaya vowed to gather at the Prosecutor-General's office tomorrow morning to help secure their release, followed by a press conference at the Press Syndicate at 1 pm. With lightning speed, news of the crackdown spread on all the major news outlets. See here for a comprehensive list. A BBC report profiles some of the fiery Youth for Change activists and the serious risks they're taking. In a defiant statement, Kifaya vows to continue its work. "The Egyptian Movement for Change (Kifaya) calls on all vital forces of society, and Egyptian, Arab, and international public opinion, and all advocates of freedom, to support the Egyptian people's struggle, and to stand in solidarity with Egyptian democracy movements, as they wage a momentous battle to build a society of citizenship, freedom, and justice." Reuters Photo.