Egyptian workers have been challenging the government of President Hosni Mubarak for years.
Western coverage of the ongoing protests in Cairo and across Egypt has tended to emphasize the role of social media, the demonstration effect of the demonstrations in Tunisia, and the spontaneity of the demonstrations. Jack Shenker’s view is that the idea of a “Twitter Revolution” overlooks the history of the workers’ movement within Egypt and thus captures only part of the reality.
On top of the long-burning grievances of political oppression and economic hardship, it was a 2008 strike by textile workers in the Nile Delta town of Mahalla al-Kubra that fired the imagination of many of those on the streets today. The three people shot dead by security forces during the Mahalla unrest on 16 April inspired an online movement which took its name from the date.
Here are reports on the 2008 strike, from the BBC and Wikipedia, and an analysis of earlier strikes in Mahalla al-Kubra, by Joel Beinin.
[...] in Egypt. Much more, of course, remains to be done. We know something about the struggles of the textile workers. I’d appreciate suggestions from readers on further sources, for Egypt and the rest of the [...]