18 days which shook the world

Chest infection or no chest infection… it wasn’t going to stop me from attending Egypt: global day of action at Trafalgar Square. Armed with antibiotics and painkillers I set off. It was wonderful, lively and had such a celebratory atmosphere. Revolution in Egypt. There was such a mood of jubilance and good cheer. I ended up chatting to an Egyptian man living in London, animated by the victory and excited by the future (but he was also worried about what could happen). There were lots of people with children, listening to the speakers, as well as chanting. I kinda got caught up in the vibe and felt very positive and emotional, the collective spirit of defiance. The people of Egypt lead a revolution and it was time to celebrate, heroes of our time. Speakers from Egypt and Tunisia appeared on the platform speaking about the actions in Algeria and Yemen. Revolutions have a tendency to be contagious.

Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty gave that a speech that was streamed to the Egyptians in Tahrir Square. I must confess that I haven’t felt as optimistic as this for, well a very long time. Let’s not forget people within a space of 18 days overthrew a dictator, who could have predicted this!

But let us not forget the man who provided the catalyst for the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and further uprisings in the Middle East. Mohamed Bouazizi had experienced humiliation and abuse at the ends of the Tunisian state which ended tragically with his suicide. He sparked a global rebellion where people stood up against oppression and repression. The atmosphere in London was vibrant, the freedom of the Egyptians was translated in Trafalgar Square. While standing around watching this carnival atmosphere, a woman I knew vaguely came running up to me laughing, threw her arms around and before I could say, “chest infection” she kissed me telling me she just had to do it “on a day like this”… That really summed it for me.

On a separate but linked issue, two things that struck me today. I witnessed a woman asking an Egyptian man how to pronounce the Arabic slogans, he helped her with the slogans as she wanted to join in the celebrations. At the end of the rally, a group of Egyptians, joined by many others, danced and sang and chanted. People stood around clapping and dancing around. A woman standing behind me said that David Cameron had been going on about the failure of multiculturalism had failed then “how would he explain this” as she pointed to the crowds of people dancing! Indeed I thought.

Watching this made me feel included and part of a vibrant and diverse society, not a monoculture society. There have been some piss-poor articles about multiculturalism (like this one) yet some thoughtful and good ones like this one. British culture’s history includes colonialism and imperialism (Cameron doubtlessly has no problems with that). And the irony of Trafalgar Square witness to a celebration of resistance by Egyptians under the shadow of Nelson’s Column. Nelson’s battle with the French known as the Battle of the Nile in 1798.

For me today was a day of victory and celebration as an internationalist.

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