Egypt: Workers Shake Sadat

“We are dving of — anyway, With soch defiant chants, Cairo workers and yoath refused to back down aed Gaperse during mid-lanuary riots.

Mase paid the price, Por che first time €" 1062 when widespread ricting beralded * fall of King Farvuk, the army was used Mmessvely agiint Che: gavel, Trenpa cmrppded-Cairo, fgiring raged inte tke night. The cfficial, death boll wea Th deal and BO senonded: Unotticsa! astimite sure Ehree lames logher.

The protests were not the first, bot ther were the sagrest and mes: politecal in resin Feers, Ac the behest of the International Monetary Fund, Egrpt hed decreed the wetension af food sobaidkee January 17. Bottled propane, widely weed for cookiag and heating, Wes to cost 46 percent more, fom 64 percent, Tee 16 pereent, moat 2b percent.

The price increases come on top of alrendy appalling social conditions. The maninam wage eon bor seither meat nor lestber shocs. Inflation now runs at percent per year. There are 75 people per contr ated few social services in a sprawling, spealid Cairne of 7 million people, Im the cauntryside, life sopertiemey ie bees then 40 FReTS, IMP westerity demands were, 2 virtual doagh aentenee for millions ff Egyptian werent, proanla anil oflian poor, whh coal Glready barely afford bo ont.

Foreign correspondests doseribed Lhe reaction. as a ’virtual insurrection”. Rieting Gared in other cites, Including Alowmndria, Snez, and ceatres i upper Eawpe and the Mile Deke. The revo was seereeedexted in ope and pointed oo is tereets. Many of to qarasilic lenal malioomres and weekhy boreignera,,were pal. io the bork in Abgandris, deck workers sacked (he heme of (he viee-preadent, In Cairo the beadquarters of the ruling Aral, Socialien. Ueien were derlreyed, Badal kad beetle chodes bet to beck doen, The food eebendies slaped, The masses would eal, To pay dor it. Sader wail to bia alles in Saunt Arabia and the (roll ail aheikdome and CS ingerialism. He got a dew millinn dollare sorth of crumbs from the iil’ sales Keasunizing the need co atave off a dismeber and miaind win toe reqeme's ability, ihe IMF. may Well cough ap adean, Oot even while fering a cer, Sodar Prepared @ rluh Chet would alkey him ia strike agua tha maasea’ eng standards. The Communiat Party and dae Soviet Union were homie’ fer iciling riets, The Epepeion Communist Party, Le Commicgat Workers periy, the Gevolutkeary Curscnt and Lee damury Gh Movement wert Largebed for fer teaching arrcaia. Thoaswude kaye already been seized.

On February 4, Adal anneuneed) a referendum og nee acabe Powergilesipred bo give the regime a few weew teeth, Progaed = phecdure droscauan Tew aeurna aqrainal “erinined CONSULCE * fin Parleipacte in strikes. demoonstreigons, tha dear ecrepation of factordes or anynte belnngeit ine “secret organingtien” could be: aubjert tn foneed labarir bee lita.

Ty Bis address, Salad araccoel nol only Ube Ceprfivaniriq trot also the Masseristy of reo. Fepudiating Wasserism, he potistthat i kad “eed” after the J8T ary diefieal al. the hande od Isroe.

Tn fart, there is o9 sterker prowl o¢ the Gilire of Masserism thas tap ¢orrupt and tallece regime of hie soceessor, In the 4s af 9G). Newser etiempled f° pursm: a Heloiniklat mires and intredgoed “socalist" etait finasipes, By 198, meet key secbors of Lhe eormeny had been nationalised. Birt the capiteial slate remained. While che bite sclera! Che eeonnmy vwelled, oo did cmieyon: af tha pew ruling clea which mould Soap. the porgfiba.

Vek Magers iiith, ba work wae apor dismentiod. Sedat 'aprginie bapen in 1971 ds purging lott Masserivta, and [nlkewed! Uhin walle the 102 ex pul gion al Sods ulvisnre — 9 sores ol moves cupriag Faypt back inks the embradcd of leuerrialian.

Tn 1874 an “dgiming” te the Wem was official proclaimodL inehadiag quaFintess ‘ba Perales inversions mpg she poeoeise af ae firther natinealisstongdt reriously Puut ivvteal i sesed soctera auch an liuegr. ‘bankitig: ated Insurance were npenes to doreign capil.

Three years letar,’ Sedat's plans ore fs ruind, Deepe the aitempie wt seduction, foreigm capital has not rushes! in, becanse of ean abepe politigal slabiliry, the shsence of hades. requirensjata Hochadkins . helen tuclitieal and jhe Egyptian brurjonehecy's en bru pt lint, Por Eaapl's rulers. the only solution ir a jurthee devine in-wirker and peasant living, aLiniterds, Boulet qomes at wl oeiewird Lime. The bloom hea bie joe from the mee of Boded's partial victory is the Cheanber, LE, War, American imperial hea oct preesored Israel intn accepting a Pio sebikemend diapite the fart chat Eeypt bas bowed its dgodl, jriciny with Arab reaecth be alagt the prfeo.

Eadet kas mortgaged Egree be 05 Imperiten for pething, bot khe situgiian is nok yet secure, Werkere in Ube beertland of the Arab projeterian heave eeritier in hkwd that they want oa siars of the misceabli rape, Ther vast anger eoeeres they will rise again,

On February 4 [957 Anthony Cronin informed thy readers of "Ibe Irish Times" that To. Widle Ireland could be Ireland without the Irish language, it couldn't be, in any rechenigable sense, anything at all without: literature, in whiehepDate on part of the La fel Language anti-imperialist

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Cwires beading nogatelube. errs af Egypt's vast social inequality and plagyround