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egyptian revolt: why are we demonstrating?

Egypt is passing through the worst stage that it has seen throughout its history, in all aspects. Despite reports, which the government mentions, that the situation is improving, the reality is unfortunately quite to the contrary.

Why are we demonstrating?

Egypt is passing through the worst stage that it has seen throughout its history, in all aspects. Despite reports, which the government mentions, that the situation is improving, the reality is unfortunately quite to the contrary.

Our going out on the 25th of January signifies the beginning of the end: the end of silence, of complacency, and of betrayal happening in our country and the beginning of a new chapter of rising up and demanding our rights. The 25th of January is not a revolution in the sense of a ‘coup’; rather, it is a revolution against the government so that we can say that we have started, all of us, paying attention to our situation and we will take every single one of our rights, and we will not be silent after today.

There are 30 million Egyptians sick with depression, a million and a half of whom are physically depressed, and more than 100,000 suicide attempts throughout the year 2009, which resulted 5,000 deaths.

We have 48 million poor citizens, 2.5 million of whom live in extreme poverty. We have 12 million Egyptians without lodging, 1.5 million of whom live in the graveyard.

There is systematic corruption which has led to the existence of nothing but more corruption, a business valued at 39 billion EGP in only one year. Egypt ranks 115th out of 139 nations in a scholarly report on governmental corruption.

There are more than 3 million unemployed youth, and the unemployment rate among its youth exceeds 30%. Egypt ranks dead last out of 139 nations in its rate of transparency for employment.

We have the world’s highest infantile mortality rate, 50 out of 1000 born. Approximately half of Egypt’s children are anemic, and 8 million people are infected with HIV. We have an annual number of 100,000 diagnosed with cancer because of pollution and water quality alone. We have one ambulance for every 35,000 people.

In Egypt, the State of Emergency law has caused the deaths of dozens of Egyptians from torture, and has resulted in the unlawful arrest of thousands of people without any legal justification.

And because of the use of the security forces to censor politicians, and abort their activities, the result has been fraudulent parliamentary elections, leaving the current ruling party with more than 90% of parliamentary seats

What are our demands?

1. Confronting the problem of poverty

2. Cancellation of the State of Emergency Law, which has been in place since 1981.

3. The removal of Interior Minister Habib al-Adly

4. A limitation on presidential terms to 2 successive terms.

Mubarak poster is torn down 25th january 2011 egypt

Crowds of Egyptians face off against violent response from police, as well as possibly the massive Egyptian military, which is paid for in part by over a billion dollars in annual U.S. military aid.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Uc000YDVY5