Le Juste Libre!

'Le Juste Libre!' (the quotation is a statement of intent to French News 'Le Journal' from a woman demonstrating on streets of Cairo). 30 January, I'm watching the events in Egypt on Australia's SBS French News - armed by a snapshot understanding of the grass-roots political dynamics gained from Megan Stack's 'Every Man in this Village is a Liar" 2010 - and have been following blow by blow on Twitter reports (especially Al Jazeera < @AJEnglish, International Crisis Group Communications Director Andrew Strohlein < @astrohlein, and LA Times world service < @LATimesworld). Crisis Group briefings really helpful, for example 2008 on the political role of the Muslim Brotherhood http://www.tinyurl.com.au/1139

Of course the early fear has been a repetition of Tienanem Square - first joy, then horror - but Egypt is not China (though there are evident parallels with dictators everywhere) and the moment for that fear seems to have passed. Nonetheless there is a significant number of people dead, and that's been confirmed by Human Rights Watch. Let's hope the army does protect the people against whatever the dying regime might attempt against protest. Let's also hope the Cairo Museum survives - at present demonstrators are protecting it against looting: aside from the Museum itself, it seems something of the spirit of positive change will be eroded if it's attacked by the people whose history it protects.

This is an event Not created by social media, of course, but it certainly demonstrates the power of social media to disseminate information and to challenge political lies. The revolution holds a later fascination - what will Israel do if it loses this significant ally in its oppression of Palestine, for example as in the blockade? 

And - as these days continue there are ways we can send solidarity with the Egyptian people: Avaaz for example has a statement for signing http://j.mp/standwithegypt . And urge our governments to reject Mubarak and his regime, to endorse the people's change.