Cartoonists launch call for solidarity with Ashraf Omar

Prominent cartoonists in Britain have rallied behind Ashraf Omar, the Egyptian cartoonist seized by police from his home in a dawn raid on 22 July. Steve Bell, Martin Rowson, Andy Davey, Dave Brown and Tim Sanders launched a call for Omar’s release in an open letter published by MENA Solidarity on 4 August. Our colleague…

Media activism and international solidarity: a report from Tolpuddle Festival 2024

MENA Solidarity held a session on Saturday, July 20, 2024, in the International Tent at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival 2024. The session focused on how trade unionists can collaborate with activists in the Global South to create effective solidarity through media platforms and communication strategies, challenging mainstream media narratives. The discussion featured a case study on campaigns supporting the Sudanese struggle for democracy and social justice.

Freedom for Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Omar

Cartoonist Ashraf Omar was seized from his home by Egyptian police early on 22 July and taken away to an unknown destination, his wife told independent news website Mada Masr. Colleagues at the independent website where he worked, al-Manassa, are calling on the Egyptian Journalists’ Union to demand his immediate release. Nora Younis, al-Manassa’s editor…

One year of the SAF/RSF war in Sudan – a statement from MENA Solidarity

A year ago, on 15 April 2023, Sudan’s two principal militias (the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces) launched a war which has devastated the country. This followed their joint overthrow of the civilian partners in the Transitional Government and months of brutal repression, contested heroically by the Resistance Committees, trade unions and…

Solidarity with arrested textile workers in Egypt

Sign this statement of solidarity Workers at Egypt’s largest textile factory in Mahalla won a major victory for tens of thousands employed across Egypt’s state-owned enterprises by forcing the government to agree to raise the minimum wage to 6000 Egyptian pounds after thousands joined a strike which shut down the mill for nearly a week…

Beirut protesters blockade the entrance of Egyptian embassy

Protesters in Beirut have blockaded the Egyptian embassy, demanding an end to the Egyptian government’s “collaboration with the Zionist enemy”. They called for the immediate opening of the Rafah border for aid and a halt on preparations to host displaced Palestinians on the Egyptian side of the border. The organisers of the protest shared this…