I have been in Cairo for the past week because the Egyptian government is not exactly following through on its promise to change policy at Rafah. Hopefully I will be back soon but for now I am stuck in Egypt, not a bad place to be. I’ve been going to Tahrir square every night and there is always a sizeable presence of Cairenes with a party-like atmosphere, but I knew today would be much larger because the banks emptied their cash reserves in anticipation of looting or vandalism.
I headed down after Jumu’ah and was greeted by an already huge number of demonstrators. In order to enter Tahrir square you must show your ID and be patted down. The only people not allowed are those with wooden clubs or government workers, out of fear of reprisals. After all, Mubarak’s thugs and the NDP are still around; the dictator is gone but his spirit remains. Cairo’s streets are heavily militarized but once I got past the security check there was a definite sense of communal relaxation. Everyone from the trash collector to the person checking IDs is a civilian volunteer. There are several podiums with musicians and party members on the stump.
People are here for many reasons, but a majority is calling for the establishment of a livable minimum wage and the redistribution of property and wealth. Pretty radical calls. Continued U.S. aid to the military has not endowed them with enough power to quash the protestors’ demands for a more egalitarian society, but it has been a hard-fought battle. After deposing Mubarak, many were dismayed to find out that the government’s exterior had changed to a greater extent than its organs. Today Egyptians are calling for a second revolution, this time to deal with deep-rooted economic and political barriers. One sign reads, “I want a ruling council made of civilians as well as the military!” and this is a more conservative message.
Despite its rhetoric, the Egyptian ruling class has not been substantially altered. During the January 25 protests, the two most common sights were the Egyptian and Palestinian flags, reflecting solidarity with Gazans and outrage towards Mubarak’s cooperation with Israel’s horrendous siege. Rafah is opening on Saturday but security will still be coordinated with Israel and a blanket of discrimination has been thrown upon Palestinian men aged 18-40 who will not have free movement between borders. Nor will the government allow humanitarian aid to pass into Gaza. Egyptians can see this continued collaboration with the occupation plainly, and they are questioning what kind of progress has been made if even an uncontested demand cannot be carried out. Relations between troops and civilians are benevolent but the army knows where its loyalties lie, and they are not with the people chanting Hurriyah. Obama’s message of change? Here is some better tear gas but don’t use it against the people. What for then, allergy relief?
