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The War on Terror

Cairos chants of dissent

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Two demonstrations this week called on the government to increase wages and pursue genuine reform. But are the authorities listening?

By Amira Howeidy

(source: Al-Ahram Weekly Online)

The heart of Cairo — its central nervous system, politically and administratively — was the venue for loud opposition against the ruling regime twice this week. In Hussein Hegazi Street, which hosts Egypt’s cabinet, and Tahrir Square, a kilometre or two away, representatives of the country’s expanding dissent movement demonstrated two days in a row against the government’s economic and political policies, the three-decade old state of emergency, and the rule of President Hosni Mubarak..

The first demonstration, dubbed by its organisers as the "2 May strike" occupied Hussein Hegazi Street for three hours Sunday afternoon, where approximately 1,000 political activists and labour workers rallied against the regime. Opposition leaders who participated said the event was unique with political movements and workers united in action. The strike came in response to government apathy towards a court order of 30 April requiring the president, the prime minister and the National Wages Council to set a minimum "fair" wage.

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