It has been 40 years
since what happened in January 18 and 19, 1977… Sadat described what happened
as the “uprising of thieves”. Those who call themselves “strategic experts” in
Egypt described it as “January events”. As to those meticulous in choosing
terms and keen on distinguishing between uprising and revolution, they
described it as the “uprising of the masses” or even “uprising of bread”.
However, all who took part in that action along with all those burdened with
the nation’s problems called it “January revolution” because they believe the
revolution is a multi-phase continuous action, with each phase or ring
connected to what is before and after it. This is the meaning of continuity in
their opinion.
Some believe these rings
go back to the first establishing ring represented in the two Cairo
revolutions; the first in October 20, 1798 and the second in March 20, 1800,
against the French campaign on Egypt. Then we come to the second ring; 1805
revolution against the Turkish rule, expelling the governor appointed by the
Turks and choosing and appointing another one; that was Muhammed Ali… and to
the third ring; 1881 Orabi revolution against tyranny and social inequality
practiced by Muahmmed Ali’s successors… then to the forth ring of 1919; the
biggest and greatest ring representing the struggle for independence and
drafting the constitution. After this came 1952 ring when the rule of Muhammed
Ali dynasty came to an end and another era started… and so on until we come to
January, 1977 and the rings that followed next. The last of them was the ring
of June, 30.
Before this massive
uprising of the masses in January, 1977, I took part of the pre-1973 wide
political and thought movement. I was also present and active in the post-1973
time when the victory achieved in October, 1973 by the Egyptian people was
stolen and manipulated by a small bunch of brokers, foreign companies’ agents
and big bureaucrats.
Then I participated in
January 18th and 19th events and was arrested on January
28th, 1977 as I was hiding in a small apartment in Al-Qasr Al-Aini area
which Dr. Salah Desouki managed to get me. My wife and struggler, Dr. Fatma Saleh
was then pregnant in the last month of our daughter Mariam who was born on
February 2nd, 1977; the same date of issuing the law of national
unity. That law was issued by Sadat with the purpose of inhibiting and
restricting any popular movements of any kind or any degree. I do not know what
happened to that law and whether it died like the one who issued it or if it is
still there lying next to similar laws.
Despite the 40 years
that passed, the scenes and events of those two days are getting clearer in my
mind and memory as if I am living them once again with all the details
associated to them… seminars, conferences, meetings and attempts to establish a
group combining between practicing politics in secret and having public
interaction. We called it then “Nasserite committees of work”… then came what
happened in al-Mansoura on January 18th and in Cairo on January 19th…
then I started hiding and later was chased by the state security investigations
while I was actually on my way to give myself in at state security headquarter
in Lazoghli… then what happened since I entered there until I went to state
security prosecution in Zaki st. in Cairo downtown… later, detention in
preventive custody in appeal and Abu-Za’abal prisons… releasing me and banning
from work… sleeping in public parks and sometimes begging a meal to eat and
money to pay for transportation.
I wrote about all those
in detail before and it is time now to collect them in a book… I ask for your
prayers to recover from the “phobia” I have of writing books so that I can take
this step…
I do not have enough
space here to talk about my personal experiment… priority is for thanking the
court judges who issued an exoneration verdict. Atop of them is the late
counsellor Hakim Mounir Salib along with the honorable counsellors; Ali
Abdel-Hakim Omara and Ahmed Muhammed Bakkar… here, let me again excerpt part of
what came in the wording of the court verdict headed by counsellor Hakim Salib:
“but the court, while tackling these incidents with due
inspection and investigation for finding the cause and truth lying behind, has
to say in the beginning that an economic crisis was taking the grip of the
Egyptian nation at that time; the crisis that extended to all aspects of life
and human necessities for the Egyptian people who were struggling hard trying
to provide their food while fighting the soaring prices with their fixed
incomes.
This suffering affected
people’s daily life in a very cruel way; they were exhausted and worn-out in
moving from one place to another due to transportation problem while struggling
every day, hour, and moment with lack of services not to mention the
deterioration inflicted with such services.
Above all this came the
housing crisis, despair gripped people’s hearts especially young men for they
may not afford having a proper house; the necessity that is essential for
building a family and future life.
In the middle of this
crunching crisis, Egyptians used to hear government officials and politicians
promising prosperity and solutions capable of putting an end to their
sufferings and turning their life-to-come into an easy charmed one. While
living in dreams broadcasted day and night in media outlets, people were
suddenly shocked by government decisions raising prices of many essential goods
affecting their daily provisions without prior preparation or warning. We can
imagine the growing frustration that gripped those people’s hearts, the
feelings they had before and the despair that washed over them after these
decisions.
How can these people, with most of them low-incomed,
balance between fixed incomes and such madly exorbitant prices?
A huge gap between the collapsing hopes and the bitter
reality tore Egyptians’ hearts and souls. These furious emotions had to find a
way out and so huge masses of people abruptly poured into streets and squares. Such
demonstrations were collective and purely spontaneous. The masses huddled
together roaring, clamoring, and declaring their fury and anger upon the
decisions that killed hopes and destroyed the high expectations. Security
forces tried to quell protests and regain control but failed amid this growing
anger and great pains.
In the middle of this raging sea, vandals found a way to
fulfill their evil instincts; they went burning, vandalizing, destroying, and
looting money feeling safe from harm among such roaring masses. People went mad
as hell when central security men stood in their way armed with clubs, shields,
and tear-gas canisters. Things went out of control and chaos prevailed. Nothing
could be done to stop riots and regain control and security but imposing curfew
and having the armed forces men deployed in the streets. Only then, and with
great effort, security was restored.
The court, as
ascertained by the knowledge residing in the judges’ conscience, undoubtedly
believes the economic decisions of raising prices were the direct and sole
motive behind the serious incidents that took place on January 18 and 19, 1977.
Those incidents are linked to the decisions like the ill is to illness and the
result is to causes”.
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
Translated into English by: Dalia Elnaggar
This
article was published in Almasry alyoum newspaper in January, 18 2017.
To
see the original article, go to:
#almasry_alyoum
#ahmed_elgammal #January_18_19 #revolution
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