SYDNEY: Several continents away from Cairo, one of the protesters in Sydney was holding a sign that reads “First Egypt, Now the World!” He notices that I am draped in Egypt's flag. He asks if I am Egyptian, I answer yes; he smiles, pats me on my shoulders in a friendly way and says “Thank you, you and your people have inspired us.” I was experiencing the ‘Tahrir Effect' first hand, 14,500 kilometers from Tahrir Square. On October 15, the ‘Global Day of Action', protesters from around the world have attempted to re-create the ‘Occupy Wall Street' protests in their own cities. From Tokyo to Rome, Manila to London, people have taken to the streets asking for a diverse set of demands, some intrinsic to the countries themselves, however the underlying theme for all was economic and social justice. As an Egyptian graduate student living in Australia, I decided to take part in the #OccupySydney demonstration. The demonstration was called for by several of the political groups operating in Sydney, and was timed for 2:30 PM on a Saturday, to coincide with other protests from around the world. The location was in Martin Place, the financial heart of Sydney and right in front of the Reserve Bank of Australia. The turnout was about 800-900 people from different walks of life. Some of the grievances were local to Australia: the treatment of its indigenous Aboriginal people – stopping gas mining in populated cities – workers rights in various industries, among other causes. The main theme however, in line with the global protests, was economic and social justice. Australia is a functioning democracy and an OECD economy, one of the world's largest. Benefiting from China's unassailable taste for resources, Australia was able to harness this demand for growth, becoming in essence, China's mine. While the government was able to steer through the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) largely unharmed, deep inequalities remain in Australian society, with UN defined poverty conditions in several areas of Australia. Poverty in Australia is very real. Recent figures from Australian Council of Social Service confirm that around 2.2 million Australians are living under the poverty line. That's approximately 11 percent of the population, quite a serious number for an OECD economy. Amnesty international called on the international community to ‘'shame'' Australia, because of the high level of poverty suffered by its indigenous people. Amnesty's Secretary-General Salil Shetty said conditions were “almost inhumane” after touring some of the poorest Aboriginal settlements in the country. This inequality was very present at the #OccupySydney rally. Tahrir was also very present in the rally. Many of the speakers acknowledged the efforts of the Egyptian people, saying that it had definitely inspired them. Several signs held up by the protestors were directly related to Egypt. One sign read “Egypt did it, so Can We!.” In a text book example of the power of social media, I took a picture of a sign that said “From Tahrir Square to Liberty Square: What Could Real Democracy Look Like?” that was picked up by Aljazeera English and used (they did credit me). I saw a lot of similar signs in New York carried by the Occupy Wall Street folks. Pundits have used the term ‘Tahrir Effect' in various contexts around the world. I define it simply as an inspirational force, how the Egyptian people have shown the world that a determined, organized population can take on the powers that be, and win. You win some, you lose some. Later that night, the police came and tore down the tents of the #OccupySydney protesters. Several hundred continued to sleep there, braving the elements. It is unclear what the police will do to remove the remaining protesters, but its not that important, for in a way, they have already won. They have gotten their message across locally, with news stories highlighting the protests running across the country, forcing many everyday Australians to think about the inequality they have on their own shores. The protesters have also shown their fellow activists worldwide that the Occupy Wall Street movement has reached down under, and coordination at a grass roots level will continue. The Occupy Wall Street movement itself was arguably inspired by Tahrir. Signs from all over the world are but an example of this ‘'Tahrir Effect''. While this can be a cause of pride for us Egyptians, nonetheless it's a double-edged sword, for the attention of the world is upon us. Millions and millions of people stand in solidarity with us awaiting our revolution to succeed, as I am sure many are waiting for it to fail. It's up to Egyptians to make sure that the ‘Tahrir Effect' actually works in Egypt, and not become another long forgotten pyramid that we built in another millennium. It's very easy for the next sign I see to say ‘ Egypt almost did it, so Can We!'. Let's hope that doesn't happen. ** Abdel Ghafar is a graduate student at the University of Sydney, follow him on Twitter: @dooolism BM
