Students take the lead in protests denouncing Israel's carnage in Gaza, with demonstrators demanding Egypt unilaterally open the Rafah border, reports Serene Assir In response to Israel's brutal incursion into the occupied Gaza Strip which began last Friday and during the course of which at least 115 Palestinians have been killed, Egyptians voiced their anger in a series of demonstrations. The largest came on Sunday when over 1,000 students at Cairo University called for an immediate end of the incursion, as well as the siege of Gaza. Protesters also demanded that Egypt open the Rafah terminal unilaterally. "Though the protest began inside university grounds gradually we made our way to the gate and broke through the police line," said fourth- year law student and member of the Socialist Students organisation May El-Bassiouni. Reiterating the stand of opposition movements, she added that, "we also demanded Israel's diplomatic presence in Egypt be expelled". On Monday action shifted to the Bar Association in downtown Cairo. "As Egyptians we understand how important it is that our voice is heard on this issue. The fate of the Palestinians is inextricably linked to that of Egypt," said Naglaa El-Qalioubi, a member of the executive committee of Al-Amal Party. "The Arab people are one," she insisted. Representatives from Kifaya, Al-Amal and the Socialist Revolutionaries were all present at the Bar Association demonstration, chanting slogans that included jihad and muqawma (resistance). The country's strongest opposition movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, also took to the streets, with the group's MPs walking from Tahrir Square to the parliament building in protest. Activists from the movement were present at both the Cairo University and the Lawyers' Syndicate protests. In addition the Brotherhood issued an official statement, signed by Supreme Guide Mahdi Akef, condemning the incursion as part of a "great international conspiracy the goal of which is to empty Palestine of its people". The statement went on to condemn Arab and Muslim leaders for their refusal to act. On Tuesday a smaller protest, attracting just 100 demonstrators, was held on the steps of the Press Syndicate. As during Monday's protests, demonstrators held placards depicting Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah and distributed pamphlets calling on Egypt to unilaterally lift the siege of Gaza by opening its border. "Down with America, down with its clients!" shouted protesters. There was disappointment among some of the demonstrators at the silence of the bulk of Egypt's civil society. "It is unfortunate that so many of our institutions have been infiltrated to the extent that even the average Egyptian, who feels solidarity with the Palestinians, no longer believes in the possibility of change," said protester Rabaa Fahmi. "What the Egyptians need is a change of government. The government is opposed to any action in solidarity with the Palestinians because it exposes the government's own lack of popular support. Until our government changes we cannot expect that the voices of ordinary Egyptians will be heard beyond our borders." The previous day workers at Ghazl Al-Mahalla textile factory had been prevented from holding a planned demonstration in solidarity with the people of Gaza by a massive police presence. People in the town have now rescheduled the action for Thursday. The factory workers have a reputation for organisation and successfully securing their demands, convening protests and strikes that have involved up to 15,000 people. Protesters also criticised what they believed was a lack of proper care by the government when four of the wounded Palestinians who were allowed to enter into Egypt died. "We did what we could for them, but their condition was so grave," said an administrative source at Arish General Hospital. However small the protests those participating remain committed to ending the siege of Gaza, by unilateral Egyptian actions if necessary. "The key is that we show consistency," said Mohamed Abdel-Qoddous, head of the Liberties Committee at the Press Syndicate. A demonstration has been planned for Friday at Al-Azhar Mosque, in defiance of a government ban on all protests at religious sites. Spot the difference
