Kamal AbbasWe the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) write to you to express our anger at the anti-democratic action of the Egyptian authorities in their attempts to punish anyone who questions official policies and actions.
The sentencing of Kamal Abbas, the general co-ordinator for the Centre for Trade Union and Worker Services (CTUWS) is a draconian act that raises concerns about the future of freedom of association and freedom of expression in Egypt, freedoms which have been repressed in previous years leading to a Workers uprising.
We stand in Solidarity with Kamal Abbas for his standing up to the lie made by Ismael Fahmy, a puppet of the old regime , that the old state controlled Egyptian Trade Union Federation truly represented Egyptian Workers.
No representatives or other organs of the state will ever represent Working Class people of any country, certainly not a state run Union which is a complete contradiction in terms.
We strongly believe that the employing class and its instruments of power, state, government and security forces will never have anything in common with the Working Class.
We looked forward with hope in our hearts to seeing the Working Classes of Egypt organise themselves through education and poetry of the deed into a Worker lead society without bosses but are sadden to see that is descending into the same old power structures as before which will never meet their vision or needs, Meet the new boss same as the old boss.
We hope to hear of the overturning of Kamel Abbas’s sentence and to a more people lead true democracy in Egypt in the not too distant future.
Andy Smith, International Solidarity Liaison Officer