Egypt Cancels Revolution Fete to Mourn the Saudi King Who Derailed Revolution
In a great irony, the Egyptian government attempted to cancel the commemoration of the January 25 revolution four years ago, on the grounds that the late King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia needed to be mourned.
Saudi King Abdullah speaks at his private residence in the Red Sea city of Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, in June 2014. AP/Brendan Smialowski
This post originally ran on Juan Cole’s Web page.
In a great irony, the Egyptian government attempted to cancel the commemoration of the January 25 revolution four years ago, on the grounds that the late King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia needed to be mourned. The Saudis played a sinister behind-the-scenes role in undermining budding Egyptian attempts at democracy, and appear to be complicit in the coup against the Muslim Brotherhood government of Muhammad Morsi in 2013 (though to be fair, that government was very widely hated).
As it was, dissidents from the left and from the Muslim religious right did manage to mount rallies to protest the authoritarian turn of the current Egyptian government. The police reacted horribly, deploying live ammunition at the protesters– killing 18 and wounding 52.
National security police and plainclothesmen had a heavy presence throughout the capiteal of Cairo.
About 1,000 leftists marched in memory of secular activist Shaima al-Sabbagh, who was killed at a Talaat Harb Square rally in downtown Cairo on Saturday.
The government of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has just banned protests by fiat in the absence of a parliament. It has also conducted a fierce and largely successful campaign to silence and marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood, which is being blamed for the violence in the Egyptian press. Tens of thousands of Muslim Brothers are in jail, in addition to some liberals and leftists.
Supporters of the revolution rue that two of its leaders, Ahmad Maher of the April 6 Youth Group and Alaa Abdel Fattah, a blogger, are in jail on charges of illegally protesting, while dictator Hosni Mubarak and his sons have been released from prison at least for the moment.
Related video:
Euronews: “Egypt: Protests to mark 2011 uprising anniversary turn deadly”
Related book:
The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation is Changing the Middle East
Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
His 30-year reign in unstable region came to an end in 2011 Arab Spring revolt, which has been followed by years of chaos and uncertainty.
Mass protests have reshaped Iraq, Lebanon, Algeria and Sudan, but you'd never know it from the coverage they've received in U.S. media.
Bodies irreversibly broken by global conflicts serve as an ongoing testament to war’s long legacy of destruction.
The U.S. has aligned itself with some of the worst actors in the Middle East. We'll be living with the consequences for years to come.
Not that Americans are paying attention, but there are important lessons to heed from the collapse of democracy in Egypt.
Hollywood's triumph in the global culture wars is worrisome at a time when conglomerates reign, French scholar Violaine Roussel argues.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.