Melbourne solidarity celebrations, February 12, 2011. Photos by Sue Bolton, beats from Al Aqsa Intifada by Rootsman and Muslimgauze, edited by Nick Fredman.

Below are a number of statements and reports of solidarity actions around the world following the overthrow of the US-backed Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak. They include a statement from organisations attending the New Anti-Capitalist Party congress in France, solidarity from the World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal, a statement by leaders of the Socialist Party USA and a report on trade union organised protests in South Korea. Check back for more.

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Statement from left organisations present at the New Anti-Capitalist Party congress

February 12, 2011 -- The overthrow of Ben Ali and Mubarak change the political situation not only in the Maghreb but on the international scale.

Popular revolutions which have put an end to dictatorships supported for decades by US and European imperialisms are giving back confidence to all the Arab peoples and strike a devastating blow to the imperialist and Zionist order in the region.

Jordanian, Yemenite, Iraqi, Algerian and Palestinian populations have already taken to the street to demand political changes.

These revolutions are the direct impact of the international economic crisis and of the diktats of the IMF and the World Bank which impose a radical social offensive and the impoverishment of populations already suffering from decades of policies of social injustice and corruption.

These two revolutions open the way not only to democratic demands to break with the dictatorships, but also to the questioning of capitalist economic systems which are the cause of so much injustice. Social issues were at the source of the popular insurrections.

Imperialism is going to do everything to safeguard its positions in the region and stop the anti-imperialist development of processes at work and their propagating in the region.

This means that the Tunisian and Egyptian peoples, the forces which want to open a anti-imperialist and socialist road in those countries, need the solidarity and the active support of revolutionaries of anti-imperialist movements, of social and trade union movements of the whole world.

We are committing ourselves, each and everyone of us, in our countries, our regions, to developing this solidarity especially in order to fight against the attacks which international institutions and capitalist groups are already wreaking in order to stop any social and economic furthering of these emerging revolutions, and to using this magnificent example to stimulate the mobilisations against the debt and the demands of the IMF.

Long live the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions!

International solidarity!

Note: The World Social Forum Social Movements Assembly in Dakar has launched an appeal for a worldwide day of demonstrations on March 20, 2011.

Signed by:

Argentina: MST Australia: Socialist Alliance Belgium: LCR/SAP Brazil: Party of Liberation and Socialism (PSOL) England: Socialist Workers Party; Counterfire Canada: Socialist caucus of the New Democratic Party Catalonia: En Lluita Corsica: A. Manca Euskadi (Basque Country): Askapena France: NPA Greece: SEK; DEA Indonesia: KPRM-PRD; Working People’s Association (PRP) Iraq: Iraq Freedom Congress; Union of Communists-Iraq Ireland: Socialist Workers Party Italy: Sinistra Crítica La Réunion: NPAR Martinique: GRS Mexico: PRT Peru: PRT Poland: PPP Portugal: Bloco de Esquerda (Left Bloc) South Korea: New Progressive Party; Institute of the 21th Century Korean Research; KDLP -- Paris Committee Spanish State: Izquierda Anticapitalista; POR Sri Lanka: NSSP Switzerland: MPS Tunisia: Ligue de la Gauche Ouvrière Tunisienne ; Communist Workers Party of (PCOT) USA: International Socialist Organization Venezuela: Marea Socialista

February 12, 2011, Sydney -- What was scheduled to be another rally in support of the Egyptian people's revolution against the hated Mubarak dictatorship turned into a spontaneous celebration after the hated dictator was toppled overnight. As one sign declared: "Congratulations Egypt -- never underestimate people power". Photos by Peter Boyle.

Socialism and the spirit of Tahrir Square



By Andrea Pason and Billy Wharton, co-chairs Socialist Party USA

Tahrir Square transformed the idea of democracy from a stale ritual that occurs every few years to an open ended struggle for freedom.



February 11, 2011 -- Socialist WebZine -- We send greetings to the working people of Egypt on the day of their victorious struggle to depose the dictator Hosni Mubarak. Their grassroots movement provides definitive proof to the world that radical political activity can change the course of history. The activities of the protesters in Tahrir Square transformed the idea of democracy from a stale ritual that occurs every few years to an open ended struggle for freedom. We are inspired by the example provided by this mass revolt of the Egyptian people.

It is particularly important to recognise the central contribution made by the working class to the defeat of the dictator. While the occupation of the square and the street demonstrations in several cities galvanised the resistance, it was the mass strikes carried out by the workers that broke the back of the regime. On February 9 thousands of workers demonstrated the ability to shutdown the entire society and economy until their demands were met. After these mass strikes, the regime understood that surrender was its only option.

The victory of Tahrir Square need not be an isolated one – limited only to the removal of one dictatorial regime. The revolt was as much about the conditions imposed on Egyptians by capitalism – the lack of food, the unemployment, the poor housing, the declining environment – as it was about Mubarak. We can all join in the spirit of struggle initiated in Cairo by demanding a democratic socialist society where the needs of human beings are placed ahead of those of corporations.

See Tahrir Square for what it is – an open-ended struggle for freedom. And what the dissident voices in Egypt and many others parts of world are demanding are things that capitalism cannot deliver. In Egypt, the reorganisation of an independent trade union movement, the experiences of direct democracy in the protests and the revitalisation of a socialist left in the country offer greatest hope for advancing the political agenda for economic freedom developed in Tahrir Square.

As socialists located in the United Staes, we pledge to continue to do our part in the international struggle for socialism. We see our own political activity as a part of the larger international movement for jobs, peace and freedom. As a part of a Socialism for the 21st Century!

South Korean support for the Egyptian revolution

February 8, 2011, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions-organised protest outside the Egyptian embassy in Seoul.

By Roddy Quines

February 13, 2011 -- On February 8 the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a protest in front of the Egyptian embassy in Seoul to as part of the “International Day of Solidarity Action”. The KCTU expressed its support for the Egyptian protesters and its solidarity with the newly established Egyptian Federation of Trade Unions.

Speakers at the rally drew parallels between the struggle in Egypt and South Korea’s struggle for democracy in the 1980s, in which militant unions and radical students were at the forefront of the struggle against military rule.

“The struggle of Egyptian people reminded me the June Struggle for Democracy in 1987. The people who have suffered from the dictatorship for 30 years is now crying for freedom, rights to work and democracy. KCTU is standing by workers and people in Egypt. We will use every endeavour to support the courageous struggle” commented Jeong Ui-heon, first vice-president of the KCTU.

After speeches were made, Jeong Ui-heon tried to enter the embassy to give a protest letter to the Egyptian ambassador. However, police blocked the entrance of the embassy and the embassy also refused to accept the letter. In response to this Jeong ripped up the letter and threw it over the wall of the building.