Middle East Solidarity magazine 

Issue 5 available from March 2017

Print copies £3 each or £20 for 10 (plus postage). Order direct from Bookmarks Bookshop
A pdf version is available to download here Middle East Solidarity Magazine Issue 5 – Web Version

On the cover:

Building the resistance to Trump: US activists speak

Middle East Solidarity talks to campaigners from across the US about the growing movement against the new president

Features

Inside Egypt’s social crisis

Anger and frustration flares into strikes and protests as the Sisi regime imposes subsidy cuts, drastic austerity measures and attacks on workers’ living standards.

Rebellion rocks the Rif

Mehdi Rafiq analyses the state of Morocco’s social movements after a new upsurge of protest engulfs the impoverished North East of the country.

First Person

‘These attacks are war crimes’

The British government has blood on its hands for aiding and abetting the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen, says Kim Sharif

Analysis

A struggle for dignity

Alberto Torres examines how Palestinian prisoners organise and resist, even within the walls of Israeli jails

News and campaign reports

Aden University students walk out over corruption; Protests across Italy mark anniversary of Giulio Regeni’s abduction; Hundreds of thousands flee Mosul; Activists rally for Sinai Christians; Bahrain executions spark fury at British complicity; Anti-semitism claims challenged; BDS movement victory at Manchester University; Egypt disappearances in the spotlight at campaign launch; Global solidarity for arrested Suez food workers

 

Issue 4 available from October 2016

Print copies £3 each or £20 for 10 (plus postage). Order direct from Bookmarks Bookshop
A pdf version is available to download here (Middle East Solidarity Magazine issue 4 – web version)

On the cover:

Made in Europe: the arsenal of al-Sisi’s security state

Middle East Solidarity’s special investigation explores the European foundations of the Egyptian security state.

Features

Infographic: al-Sisi’s arsenal

In figures, the arms and security deals which equip Egypt’s security forces and military.

A new phase in Bahrain’s counter-revolution

Luke G. G. Bhatia argues that the jailing of moderate opposition leaders and increased repression of human rights activists marks a change of strategy for the Bahraini regime

First person

Iraq: the legacy of occupation

Ali Ali reports on daily life for Baghdadis amid pollution and protests

Interview

Machinery of Injustice

Campaigning lawyer Mahmoud Belal reveals the inner workings of Egypt’s brutal justice system

News and campaign reports

Workers defy shipyard’s military bosses; “Court ruling won’t stop us”, say Egyptian rights activists; Global powers fuel Syria war; Italian campaigners vow to keep up the pressure for justice for Giulio Regeni, plus reports on the Truth for Giulio campaign in the UK, Lecturers’ union condemns attacks on Turkish colleagues, trade unionists take a stand for Alexandria Shipyard workers

Back page

One day in Greece

Life for Syrian refugees in the new military-run camps is harsh, reports Sara Olsson

 

Issue 3 available from April 2016

On the cover: Syria: imperialist powers from west and east plan a carve-up

Ceasefire talks involving opposition and regime forces in Syria will be driven by imperialist competition to dominate the country from without, not by the needs of its people, warns Ghayath Naisse.

First person: Britain teaches our government how to cover up, says Farida Ghulam, a leading figure in Bahrain’s opposition al-Wa’ad Party, and wife of political prisoner Ebrahim Sharif, the party’s secretary-general.

Features:

Morocco – Sparks of resistance to austerity: Medical students and trainee teachers take on bursary cuts while candle-lit marches challenge electricity price hikes: Mohamed Boutayeb reports.

Western Sahara at the crossroads: Frustrations over the lack of progress in the struggle for freedom in ‘Africa’s last colony’ are reaching boiling point, Sahrawi activists tell Alice Finden and Sara Olsson

Challenging the climate of fear: Across Europe, governments are fuelling racism and Islamophobia through new counter-terrorism laws. Middle East Solidarity speaks to activists from Britain and France who are on the frontline of resistance to these tactics of divide and rule.

Plus news and campaign reports: Egyptian doctors strike against police violence, Unemployed protests erupt in Tunisia, Giulio Regeni’s case sheds light on disappearances in Egypt, Academics take a stand against Turkey’s war on the Kurds; Hundreds sign Palestine commitment;

Opinion – A thorn in the regime’s side: Khaled Abdelrahman exposes the hypocrisy of the Egyptian authorities’ persecution of campaigning NGOs

Print copies £3 each or £20 for 10 (plus postage). Order direct from Bookmarks Bookshop
A pdf version is available to download here (MESM_issue3_Spring2016)

Issue 2 – Autumn 2015

On the cover: Egypt’s military dictator not welcome here Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell back the campaign to stop Sisi’s visit to the UK

Features:

LGBT lives in Egypt and Lebanon: surviving moral panics and state homophobia Alice Finden explores the complex and varied nature of campaigns of homophobic repression in Egypt and Lebanon

Global University Inc. Are UK universities are putting lucrative research and teaching contracts before human rights and academic freedoms?

Between two walls: Syrian refugees speak out: Courage and desperation behind the headlines: Nabil and Mohammed make the perilous journey to Europe

Letter: Mahienour battles for justice from inside Damanhour women’s prison

Opinion: Egypt’s gift to investors Mohamed Omran challenges illusions in the new Suez Canal

News reports: Irish teenager facing mass trial in Egypt; Bahrain prison’s revolving door; Egypt’s civil servants’ jobs protest; Union independence attacked; Anti-corruption movement shakes Iraq; Drones: lethal robots kill thousands

Campaign reports: Palestine drone protesters face court; BDS activists demand ‘Fair Play for Palestine’; Photostory: Egypt prisoner solidarity campaign goes global; Asylum win for Isa al-Ali; Bahrain Teachers’ leader denied medical care; Activists deliver Calais solidarity; New book: Bahrain’s Uprising; Academics and students under fire

Guest columnist: Lebanon’s rot starts at the top
Haytham Cero investigates the politics of Beirut’s rubbish crisis

Events in the Middle East often dominate the news, but it is the stories of war, sectarian violence and western military intervention which grab the headlines. Middle East Solidarity  shows a different side to the region. We report on resistance to repression and imperialism from Morocco to Yemen, covering the strikes and protests which are missed by the mainstream media. We hope to carry the voices and stories of the women and men who are still fighting for bread, freedom and social justice to new audiences. Our practical guides to campaigning and resources for activists aim to build a stronger solidarity movement.

Middle East Solidarity is a joint project of MENA Solidarity Network, Egypt Solidarity Initiative and Bahrain Watch, and is supported by funding from UCU, PCS, NUT and a number of Trades Union Councils and local trade union branches.

Print copies £3 each or £20 for 10 (plus postage). Order direct from Bookmarks Bookshop
Download a pdf copy here (large file 7Mb) MES 2 for web

Previous issues:

Issue 1 – Spring 2015 – download a pdf copy (large file 6Mb) MENA solidarity for web