9:54AM
Mubarak propaganda & Kifaya
By 
Ursula Lindsey | Egypt
Ursula Lindsey | Egypt
Pro-Mubarak banners have been spreading across the city for the last month at least. I have seen them in Garden City, near Abdeen Square, in Bab Sharia and in plenty of other arease. It seems like many local NDP officials are taking the initiative (oh wait they don't do that) and putting up "Nam Mubarak" messages. I think we can clearly expect an orchestrated campaign to "convince" Mubarak to run.
As far as the Kifaya demo. I was there too (I did a radio piece for yesterday's The World program . I think we need to be honest about the extent of these events. It was probably 300 people tops, and many of them are very familiar faces from the activist circuit. That said, they are on to something: make a real grassroots movement, unconnected to parties, with a simple slogan and goal, and that can include all Egyptians. The most important development is obviously the spread outside of Cairo. People can demonstratre on the steps of the Journalists Syndicate for the next 20 years, I don't think the authorities would care, but coordinated demos across the country send and entirely different and more powerful message. This is what lead to the arrests, which the Kifaya people should actually take as a "compliment." If the government is arresting them, it means it sees them as a real threat.
As far as the Kifaya demo. I was there too (I did a radio piece for yesterday's The World program . I think we need to be honest about the extent of these events. It was probably 300 people tops, and many of them are very familiar faces from the activist circuit. That said, they are on to something: make a real grassroots movement, unconnected to parties, with a simple slogan and goal, and that can include all Egyptians. The most important development is obviously the spread outside of Cairo. People can demonstratre on the steps of the Journalists Syndicate for the next 20 years, I don't think the authorities would care, but coordinated demos across the country send and entirely different and more powerful message. This is what lead to the arrests, which the Kifaya people should actually take as a "compliment." If the government is arresting them, it means it sees them as a real threat.
Reader Comments (5)
Ursula is spot on about a "people" campaign coming out to entice Mubarak to run for another term. There are small indicators all pointing the same way.
"People power" works both ways - for the opposition and for the regime.
And if it comes down to money and numbers, the regime wins.
I heard Maadi has had a loads of these Mubarak-love-fest posters, but I dont go down there much so I cant confirm. There were loads of these posters in the runup to the last referendum too. If there is to be a "people campaign" to "convince" Mubarak to stand, I guess it would have to be something more extensive than the posters, newspaper ads and tv commericals of last referendum. The Imad Eddin interviews seems to be a step in that direction.
Issandr,
Yeah...you definitely missed some good sessions. It helped one get through the interviews.
I understand you apprehension about my surprise theory. I am not even certain that was it. I just cannot figure out if it is not that, what it could be.
I am with you on Murphy's description of Kifaya. It is more "mostly socialist" rather than "mostly liberal" which al-Ghad and al-Wafd say they are. Alaa mentions in his blog post (linked above in the protest entry) says he left yesterday's protest with some "big al-Ghad" characters. So who knows what all that is about.
I believe Kifaya would also be happier being labeled as mostly socialist rather than liberal.
After all - as we all know - when opposing a regime, how a group labels itself in relation to competing opposition trends is often more important than developing unified opposition -
Sorry for the sarcasm, it was not directed at you. I am just having trouble puzzling the Egyptian opposition scene out.
Sign translated at Alaa's place:
"the embryo says yes to Mubarak and Serour from inside his mother's womb"
?
This whole thing is ironic considering a few months ago Mubarak claimed "I'm not one to stage fake demonstrations" which at the time was interpreted as a reference to Nasser.
But then again, I don't think he has to even suggest it - all the hangers-on who depend on him would come up with the idea all by themselves. For all we know he could be living in a delusional world where the shaab masri just forces him to keep on going. 24 years of power surrounded by the likes of Samir Ragab ("A man like Mubarak, courageous, honest, with a sense of command, shunning revenge against his enemies, cannot be attached to the throne of the presidency. Mubarak does not seek personal glory, but the prosperity of his country. It is indeed the Egyptian people that want Mubarak to stay in power, for the good of Egypt") and an army of other sycophants, it wouldn't be unheard of. All those people are there because he is, and some will go with any replacement, as their predecessors did beforehand, to be replaced by a new court elite.