By Fareid Atta On Friday 28 January 2011, a flash mob, equipped with lightning green aerosol cans and donning make-shift gas masks, stormed the headquarters of Mubarak’s National Democratic Party (NDP). The graffiti artists showered the walls of the building with messages of defiance. Ten years on, and perhaps the two most enduring slogans on…
A powerful wave of workers’ struggles has rocked Algeria in recent weeks. Shelagh Smith investigates how battles in the workplaces have evolved alongside the Hirak protest movement. More than two years since the Hirak protest movement erupted in Algeria against a fifth mandate for President Bouteflika and the regime which has ruled Algeria since independence…
Sudanese police forced a sit-in by refugees outside UN buildings in Khartoum to disperse on 15 December. Activists from Sudan Labour Bulletin explain why solidarity with refugees is a crucial task for Sudanese revolutionaries. Late on 15 December, a two-month long sit-in by refugees in front of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner…
Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, the Prime Minister of Bahrain, died on 11 November after half a century in power. He took office one year before Bahrain gained independence from the British, in 1971, and was one of the longest serving Prime Ministers in the world. Uncle of the current King, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, he…
by Shelagh Smith During 2020 and the start of the coronavirus pandemic, repression of Hirak activists, human rights activists and especially journalists has increased. Over 90 people are currently in prison in Algeria for acts related to the Hirak. On 15 September an appeal court in Algiers sentenced journalist Khaled Drareni to a two-year prison…
The Algerian regime hoped that a referendum on constitutional changes would draw a line under two years of mass mobilisations from below, writes Shelagh Smith, but the low turnout and continuing strikes tells a different story. November 1 is the celebration of the start of the Algerian war for independence from the French in 1954.…
by Ameen Nemr Morocco’s recognition of Israel is the latest in a flurry of deals ending the diplomatic boycott of Israel by Arab states. This trend has deep roots, argues Ameen Nemr despite its recent promotion by Trump and Netanyahu. The announcement on 11 December that Morocco will open diplomatic relations with Israel brings the…
The grandiose plans to create a new capital city for Egypt are testament to Al-Sisi’s determination to prevent a repeat of the mass protests which led to revolution in 2011, argues Fareid Atta. Far from creating a sustainable new city to relieve the pressure of overcrowding in Cairo, housing in the New Administrative Capital will…
The planned annexation of large parts of the West Bank by Israel are part of a longer history of strategic colonisation and settlement building reports Miriam Scharf. This is an article from the current issue of Middle East Solidarity magazine – help us continue our work by donating £2 for a digital copy online Annexation,…
Despite fierce repression and the devastating effects of war, regime-controlled areas in Syria have recently witnessed a wave of protests. Abdulsalam Dallal reports on how activists have found ways to keep the spirit of solidarity alive This is an article from the current issue of Middle East Solidarity magazine – help us continue our work…
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