Public Meeting: Solidarity with the Arab Revolutions
Monday 28 February 2011, 7.30pm
Eric Liddell Centre, Morningside Road, Edinburgh (Map & Directions)
Speakers from Libya, Egypt, Palestine and SPSC Chair Mick Napier, just returned from delegation to Tunisia (Wed 23 Feb)
The Arab revolutions against bloody dictators armed and supported by the West are going to change the entire relationship of power between the West, the Arab people, and Israel. What role can we in Britain play in this new, revolutionary situation?
An international of criminals (see pictures) has worked for many decades to deny the Arab people basic freedoms, dignity, and control over local resources. Official Middle East peacemaker, Tony Blair, praised the torturer Mubarak on behalf of the US, EU, Russia and the UN, on the eve of his overthrow, as 'immensely brave and a force for good'. Blair only blurted out what Western Governments and Israel always thought.
We need to build links of solidarity between the Arab revolutionaries and defenders of human rights and freedom here in the West. For too long 'our' criminals have conspired with 'their' criminals.
Now the risen peoples of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrein, Yemen and every Arab country are teaching the world that any criminal regime can be removed if the people are determined, no matter the violence deployed against them; that freedom is infectious; and that the West has always been a bitter enemy of democracy for the people of the Arab world, from Palestine to Libya to Saudi Arabia.
Also: Edinburgh Demonstration called by the Arab Community, including the Libyans facing the murderous Gaddafi: Sat 5th Mar 1.30pm, The Mound. Download: Poster; flyer side 1; flyer side 2
Watch SPSC video of 26th Feb Edinburgh demo. Statements from Scotland's Tunisian, Egyptian and Yemeni communities: Tunisian Community "If, one day, a people desire to live - Then fate will answer their call People have died, mothers gave their sons, wives gave their husbands and children gave their parents for us to breathe freedom. Now the chains have been broken and we thank our Lord Almighty. We pray that others will taste the sweetness of freedom soon. We urge you to resist until you obtain this wonderful right. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Go Palestine Go Libya we are all with you." Egyptian Community If we compare how the Middle East countries obtained their dependency during the 50th and 60th of last century with what is going on now, we are definitely waiting for a complete new Middle East. Those who are leading the revolutions now are the people themselves, not as it was by military forces with completely different mentality. They are more aware of the changes happening worldwide and the critical scenarios in the region. The internal and external challenges are clearer and they are sure on how it can be tackled. It is a new world soon that will surprise the all world, as it surprised the world when the chain of uprisings blew up. We pay tribute to all the martyrs who pay their invaluable lives for their nations in order to get back their freedom, dignity, justice, equality, democracy and peace. We will never forget those great people who taught the whole world a brilliant lesson of braveness and purity. Yet, the revolution just started and what happened across our countries is just one step, but no doubt a huge one, and we still need to work very hard to rebuild our country and establish a real democracy that enable us to stand side by side to free our lands from the Zionists. Yemeni Community Yemen linked some of the oldest centers of civilization in the Near East by virtue of its location in South Arabialand. It is the land of Queen Sheba and the origin of Mocha coffee. The 33's Ali Saleh, president of Yemen, grip on power will come to the end shortly. This is the message sent by the Yemeni people to the dictator recently. Yemeni People are protesting on a daily basis over the whole country. They already forced the dictator to offer many deals. However, the Yemenis have only one voice, i.e.; the regime has to be overthrown. The regime has responded aggressively using several kinds of weapons without any sense of humanity and responsibility. At least 87 protesters were injured in a bomb attack on an anti-government protest in Taiz (the most populated city in Yemen) on Friday 17th February, according to medical sources. Sources said that four protesters are in critical condition. Thousands of students are protesting in the University of Sanaa. Yesterday, the regime attacked them and 2 students killed and many were injured. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses in Aden, southern Yemen, said that police directly fired at anti-government protesters in the cities of al-Mansoura and Sheikh Othman Saturday afternoon. Details on casualties are not yet available. The opposition Joint Meeting Parties held President Saleh responsible for protesters killed in Aden and Taiz. In Taiz, more than hundred thousands of protesters are heading from rural areas outside the city to gather in al-Huriya Square in a protest against the regime. The protesters, most of them are youth, intend to stay in the square over night. The other major cities are organising similar campaign against the regime. The Yemenis have strong determination to end the era of President Ali Saleh and establish a new state of democracy, equality and freedom.
24 February 2011
And the night will then begin to fade - And the chains break and fall."
Aboul-Qacem Echebbi (Tunisian poet)