“Mina means Khaled Said, means it's January all over again,” was the chant agitating Talaat Harb's street when mourners decided to pay respect to their #maspero‘s martyrs and the gone but not forgotten, Khaled Said. It wasn't a surprise when mourners, after 8 months, were back chanting “The people demand the removal of the regime (Al Shaab yoreed esqat Al Nezam)” and “Leave! (Erhal)”, tackling a nostalgic consciousness among the mourners that was once ignited in #Tahrir. The grievers were comforted by both Mina Daniel and Khalid Said mothers' presences, whose sons' were both murdered by the same brutality believed and practiced by people who followed the same gruesome and savage force. While standing in silence, @MohAbdElHamid and many others started chanting against the #SCAF‘s tactics in handling and slacking from responsibility lately: “we'll disengage them, we'll dissolve them, we'll detach them.” Chants from @lilianwagdy and the rest: “Mina Daniel was killed, and the Field Marshal is next,” were shouted to hand the army full liability for the martyrs' deaths, especially after their disgraceful #SCAFpresser on Wednesday. A few hours before #talharbvigil, many journalists (including @lilianwagdy) and protesters decided to march to #maspero to condemn #statetv‘s coverage of the events and Osama Heikel's, Minister of Information, infuriating statement that #maspero‘s coverage was not biased and that calls for sectarian clashes were actually triggered by private channels instead. They started singing: “Here here here, the journalists are here!” and furiously vocalized: “The damned Osama Heikel burned down Egypt with a station.” Thursdsay was also the eyewitnesses/activists' knee-jerk reaction to the aggravating #SCAFpresser. The #Masperopresser took place in Tahrir newspaper's headquarters in Dokki with journalists rushing to occupy the miniature place while anticipating the truth behind what really happened behind the clashes and #SCAF‘s baffling reactions. The #masperopresser was initiated by The Revolution's Youth Coalition, Popular committees, Worker's Democratic Party, The Popular Socialist Alliance Party, the prominent on Twitter #NoMilTrials, Revolutionary Socialists, and last but not least, National Front for Freedom and Justice. @SarahCarr was there to witness it all and @Tabulagaza was there to deliver a livestream to the people forecasting and put down due to #maspero's Bloody Sunday at home as well. The conference started when Ragia Omar, a member of the #nomiltrials campaign, announced a press release signed by 17 political parties and 12 political characters, denouncing the army's violence in breaking up peaceful #copts protests, calling for legitimate demands, bringing upon the memory of Tuesday #Jan25‘s intifada in the streets of Egypt. The statement accused #SCAF of having a hand in the massacre and called for the most anticipated end of the military ruling in Egypt with calls for a new transitional government. They were also urging for the elimination of the shameful state control on #maspero by prosecuting whoever was behind #bloodysunday through granting the #copts equal rights. Many of them lost their lives or were not reluctant to die for them. Eyewitnesses to speak were Magda Adly (witnessed autopsy results of 8 corpses who were said to be run over by heavyweight tanks, with two of them shot), Tony Sabry (martyr Mina Daniel's friend who received both front and back bullets). Tony also revealed a horrendous statement that he saw a body being thrown in the Nile by the army. Assem Kandil (a lawyer who heard gunshots in his workplace next to #maspero only to find protesters starting to move dead bodies into the building after the forces broke in). Max Soliman (who had 2 rare videos refuting #SCAF‘s claims that the forces didn't use live ammunition as well as leading a sectarian remarks by one of the officers on ground, and Hossam Hadad of 25 January TV (which was stormed by Military Police during the clashes), Safeya Abdullah (revealed protesters had to burn the private cars after Military Police smashed them to stay away from APCs; also an APC was burned after its soldier started to step on protesters, Mohamed El Zayat (stated that his companion took a bullet in his head while an APC was heading to crush them), and prominent media figure Gameela Ismail (a journalist and former state TV presenter who shockingly explained that Rasha Magdy, State TV's anchor, confessed that #bloodysunday‘s news were written by a military official). The day also witnessed a new commonplace detail in #maikelnabil‘s case where it was officially stated that Maikel would be retried in a military court on October 18. This would mark #MaikelNabil‘s 57th day in his acrid yet bold hunger strike, arousing questions like: “Will he still be alive to be tried again because he chose to speak his mind in a time where he thought atrocious censorship is finally over?” Twitter users were outraged by the fact that no action has been taken by the #SCAF regarding #MaikelNabil dad's appeal to Field Marshal Tantawi or the certainty that Maikel is dying and needs medical intervention. This was shown in one of @nervana_1‘s tweets when she referred to the military judges' decision as a “slow cruel death sentence.” @Hany2m quoted Amnesty International when they stated Egypt's military courts were actually toying with #maikelnabil's life. #MaikelNabil, Egypt's first political opinion prisoner after the revolution wrote an article from prison two months ago saying: “What I have been saying in February 2011 and no one believed is now being chanted in Tahrir. If I have been told they'd imprison me for the people finally realizing this reality, I would have chosen prison with full satisfaction.” Egyptians know that after every Caeser who dies, there's always a new one … ** Message to Maspero by protesters ** Menna Alaa can be found on twitter: @TheMiinz BM
