Tahrir Reoccupied 1-25-12
Today we salute the courage of Egypt, one year on from the beginning of the revolution.
If we want to remind ourselves why the legend of Antigone risking her own life to bury her brother seems so relevant today, look at this new video by Mosireen, the inspiring Cairo video collective (I first embedded this last night: this morning, it had been sub-titled–amazing).
The dead body of a protestor, Mohammed Tousi, is hauled to the side of Tahrir and left in the garbage. His niece speaks of her grief, followed by his mother. It becomes clear that he was killed during the eviction of the midan or encampment in Tahrir on November 20, 2011. Tousi was beaten to death and hauled to the garbage: “Is this what they call honoring the dead?,” asks his sister. In a further evocation of the judicial killing of Antigone, she then criticises the walling-in of the square by SCAF, calling it a “separation wall,” like that used by Israel. But the conclusion is firm–this violence will not drive the protestors away but motivate them to renew their struggle. These women, veiled or not, want justice for their murdered son/brother/relative–Antigones all. The final long pan around the room shows the entire group, all radicalized, all looking for ways to claim their rights.
Today, and in the run-up to the anniversary, this vow to seek justice has been fulfilled.
Here’s a remarkable account by Ahdaf Souief, the novelist/activist of Mosireen’s recent action:
The campaign against SCAF has gained huge traction over the past three weeks. Inspired by anger at the mid-December killings of protesters in the parliament area, young revolutionaries held a press conference called Kazeboon (“they lie”). It was a packed and emotional meeting. They screened a film by the Mosireen Collective that showed the generals making statements – and the actions that belied them. A young woman gave an impassioned speech holding up a piece of fabric soaked in the blood of a protester: Rami Hamdi. The film ended with the camera slowly tracking the trail of blood that had poured out of the young man as his friends tried to carry him to safety. On each side of the blood the pathway had been marked with small stones. At intervals there were young people sitting by the trail. Kazeboon is now a countrywide campaign where young people screen footage of the military’s deeds in streets and squares and universities – despite intimidation, and often violence.
You can download all of Mosireen’s films here. Do it today, show them widely.
Women wearing V for Vendetta in Tahrir today
As the news today shows, the reoccupation of Tahrir is underway, huge crowds have moved in. “The revolution is on its way to Tahrir”, was the chant. Earlier they were singing “Bread, freedom and human dignity, bread, freedom and social justice.” The continued crisis in basic food provision drives the revolution as it has since 2010. Above, women using Anonymous masks as veils complicate and repurpose the debates over masking and veiling.
The young man mic checking early on in the video from Ahram Online says:
Yes, we’re chanting against the military./
We’ve come back again and this time we’re not leaving.
The slogan of January 25, 2011 “the people and the military are one hand” has gone. It’s now clear to the revolution that SCAF is the regime. Keep watching, it’s not over: follow events online via Twitter #J25 and please ignore The New York Times.