This January two years ago a new movement was set in motion in the Arab world – the Arab spring. Two years later this movement is still alive - deepening and stronger with experience – despite the attempts by reactionary and conservative forces – in Egypt the military and now the Islamist regime – to suppress and subdue the movement.

On January 25 – two years after the first mass protests in the Tahrir Square in Cairo began – another demonstration has been called to mark the anniversary and to demand from the authorities the democracy, social and human rights that they have fought for the past two years and which they have been denied.
 
The movement of January 25 has not died, as the Islamist President Mursi has wrongly believed. With the recent mass protests and demonstrations in Egypt before the vote called by the President on the new constitution, it became obvious that the election of an Islamist president has not led to popular resignation –but to more opposition and controversy.
President Mursi’s combination of Conservative Islamist rule, neo-liberal policies and his alliance with the USA and other Western powers has not improved and will not improve the lives, social and human rights of the Egyptian working class and many others living in deep social destitution. 
It was the general opinion for some time that the strong Muslim convictions of a vast majority of the Egyptian population would make people resign to Islamist rule.
But President Mursi has ruled with still more restrictions and suppression, which has made an increasing number of Egyptians turn against him. With the embarrassingly low turnout in the vote on the constitution, which gave him the majority he wanted, the President has not strengthened his position. On the contrary, the increased demonstrations, the low turnout and new demonstrations will further weaken him.

EL Executive Board meeting,
Berlin, 11.-12.01.2013