Counterrevolution begins in Egypt

Egyptian troops today opened fire on thousands of Moslem Brotherhood (MB) protestors demanding the reinstatement of deposed president Morsi & moved in tanks & tear gas in a violent assault to clear their protest camps. The regime also imposed a month-long state of emergency. Many MB supporters are reported dead from gunshot wounds in the head, giving evidence of a shoot to kill mission.

It would be safe to say the counterrevolution has begun in Egypt. The Egyptian regime in collaboration with its US benefactors is employing the classic political strategy of divide & conquer--turning those who should be allies against each other in cut-throat & violent conflict.

The elite strata of the MB, including Morsi, colluded with the military & the US. When the MB were found inconvenient allies due to popular opposition to their conservative & neoliberal policies, the military dumped them & is now scapegoating plebeian MB supporters.

It doesn’t matter one iota what one thinks of MB ideology or politics; it’s irrelevant what they did or would do if they ran the show again in Egypt. They didn’t have a right to impose those views on the majority of Egyptians but what matters now is that they have a right to hold & promote & protest for their views. The regime is not going after them with tanks & tear gas because of their ideology & politics--which were previously entirely compatible with military tyranny. They are targeting them in order to destroy democracy, especially the rights of protest & freedom of expression won by the historic Egyptian revolution begun in 2011 with the ouster of Mubarak. This state of emergency is an assault on the revolution; it is the beginning of a counterrevolution. Those who support social transformation & oppose tyranny in Egypt stand solidly with the MB today against the violence of the Egyptian military regime & its US allies. The guns trained on the heads of the MB today will be trained on the revolution tomorrow.

Hands off the Muslim Brotherhood! No state of emergency! No US aid to Egypt!

(Photo of MB woman overcome by tear gas by AFP)