12 Years Since the April 6, 2008 Uprising

Statement by the Revolutionary Socialists

As we commemorate the 12th anniversary of the April 6, 2008 uprising and its profound impact on the balance of power in Egyptian politics leading up to the January 2011 revolution, we extend our salutations to the thousands of residents of Mahalla al-Kubra. These brave individuals faced Mubarak’s police bullets with their bare chests and, for the first time, smashed the images of the deposed dictator with their shoes and fists in full view of the world. We also salute the dozens of journalists and photographers whose courageous documentation of the Mahalla uprising and the police’s criminal actions against its people made this possible despite the complete media blackout and official neglect.
Furthermore, we salute the hundreds of young men and women for whom the April 6 uprising marked their engagement in public activism. Some individuals played leading roles in the January 2011 revolution, while others are now imprisoned by the counter-revolution, paying for the defeat with their freedom.