In a statement released today, railworkers’ union leaders in the UK hit out at the Egyptian army’s intervention in the train drivers’ strike. Striking drivers were issued letters telling them that they had been conscripted into the armed forces. Read more here about what you can do in solidarity. Statement on the Egyptian railworkers’ strike…
Picture: trade unionists and activists protest in Cairo in solidarity with the rail workers, 10 April (via revsoc.me) Stop the militarisation of the railway! Stop terrorising the train drivers! Joint statement 10 April 2013 (original Arabic here) For the first time, the armed forces have blatantly intervened to break the train drivers’ strike – not…
The Egyptian army has intervened in an attempt to break the national strike by train drivers and guards, which has paralysed train services in much of the country for the last three days . Around 100 drivers have reportedly been transferred to the transport directorate in the Army in an attempt to crush the strike. …
Five years ago today, the textile town of Mahalla al-Kubra rose in revolt against Mubarak, after a strike demanding a rise in the national minimum wage was aborted by the security forces. Tens of thousands took to the streets and faced bloody repression from the regime. Outside Mahalla, thousands of activists organised protests in solidarity…
A selection of photographs by Sasha Simic from the World Social Forum in Tunis, ending with images of the 15,000 strong demonstration which closed the forum on Saturday, 30 April 2013. The demonstration was in support of Palestinians and the main slogan was “Land, liberty, dignity.” The marchers made their way from the Habib Bourguiba Avenue…
Highlights from some of the contributions at the MENA Solidarity Network meeting at the World Social Forum in Tunis on 27 March. Between 40 and 50 people attended the meeting, including activists from Turkey, Germany, Spain, Tunisia, Bahrain, Egypt and many other countries. Thanks to Anna Livingstone for taking notes and chairing the session. Mohammed…
Vice-President of the Bahraini Teachers’ Association, Jalila al-Salman addressed the annual conference of the National Union of Teachers on 2 April. NUT national executive member Nick Grant told MENA Solidarity Network that Jalila’s speech brought delegates to their feet in a standing ovation. “She told me at breakfast that she still has hearing and vision…
Highlights of the demonstration of the first day of the world social forum in Tunis, on 26 March 2013. World Social Forum meets Spring Revolution. From Bastmag via Vimeo here
By Anna Livingstone Around 1000 people filled the conference hall for a rally organised by the Tunisian Popular Front against the ‘Dictatorship of Debt’. Speakers from Arab countries joined representatives of left parties from Europe and Latin America. The meeting began with a video tribute to murdered leftist leader Chokri Beleid, who was shot dead…
Blacklisted construction workers and their union leaders are the latest to show solidarity with Bahraini healthworkers imprisoned in the clampdown after the 2011 uprising. At the Blacklist Support Group AGM on 23 March, union activists took time out from discussions of their own campaign against vicitimisations and sackings by multinational construction companies to send a…
MENA Solidarity Network 