The January Revolution Still Inspires Us: The January Revolution Still Scares Them

Statement by the Revolutionary Socialists

This year’s anniversary of the January Revolution is somewhat different—relatively speaking—compared to previous years. While the dictator, in his speech on the sixty-seventh anniversary of “Police Day,” emphasizes continuing what he calls economic reform policies—essentially intensifying the exploitation of people experiencing poverty through more austerity and price hikes—one attendee calls on Sisi to agree to rule Egypt for two additional presidential terms. Meanwhile, many politicians in prison have gone on hunger strikes to remind us of the revolution’s goals, and segments of the public—in limited and scattered areas—are resisting the state’s plans to uproot them from their homes and agricultural lands.

News has reached us that several politicians have started a symbolic hunger strike in prison to demand their release, as pretrial detention has become an extended punishment, reminding us of the great principles of the January Revolution: bread, freedom, and human dignity. This strike carries many meanings, the most important being raising the banner of resistance against tyranny. It is as if the revolutionaries are reciting Mahmoud Darwish’s poem “Besiege your siege” to turn adversity into a resounding scandal, providing the opposition with positive energy rather than cursing the darkness.

While the military dictatorship continues its capitalist plundering by displacing residents of popular areas in favor of major investment companies, segments of the public have started raising their voices in resistance. A martyr fell on Warraq Island, others were arrested in Nazlet El-Samman, and others were referred to trial in the village of Al-Abadiya in Fayoum.

These masses, some of whom once supported or sided with the dictator, are gradually returning today—despite the fear and panic from the security forces’ brutality—to a stance of rejection and resistance.
For this resistance to achieve tangible results, it must organize itself and allow political forces to support and engage with it.

Despite significant differences in circumstances, these developments are happening amidst the rise of popular struggles in Sudan, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, and France against the same policies that Sisi followed. Some of these movements even call for the overthrow of the regime. These movements will likely escalate due to expectations of a new global economic downturn.

Additionally, Trump, the dictator’s primary supporter, is in a state of turmoil after the Democrats took control of Congress, and the region is experiencing tension and instability due to conflicts between minor imperialist powers in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon.

Our task today is to continue to repel, weaken, and destabilize the counter-revolution aggression while waiting for the moment when the angry and frustrated masses return to the political stage by:

• They are confronting the regime’s projects to impoverish the masses through price hikes and attempts to amend the constitution to turn the country into Sisi’s private estate, with political forces using all available means. Indeed, voices of opposition have begun to rise, with campaigns collecting signatures and several political forces announcing their rejection of the current extension and succession plans.
• Engage in defensive battles, no matter how small and limited, and participate in professional syndicate elections, such as the journalists’ syndicate, to gain ground in the struggle for democracy and organize the masses to defend their interests.
• It continues to build a revolutionary mass organization capable of formulating alternative visions to the current capitalist devastation and learning lessons from the revolution in its moments of victory and defeat.
Honor your martyrs. Freedom for the detainees. A dignified life for the masses.