by the Party Red, Norway

The party Rødt (Red), Norway, fully supports the struggle of the textile workers in Mahalla al-Kubra. The textile workers at Mahalla are in the forefront of the struggle of the poor masses of Egypt against rising price and low wages which is going on at the present. The Mahalla workers are not alone in their struggle. Their long strike has been joined and supported by other workers all over Egypt and from peasants fighting for their land.

We are informed also here in Norway that these strikes and protests by workers, peasants and people in the street who no longer can make ends meet in their daily life due to the price hikes on bread, flour and basic commodities, have been met with brute police force and massive
arrests and other forms of repression by the NDP regime of President Hosni Mubarak. Workers and demonstrators have been shot at, according to information to us by our Egyptian brothers and sisters in struggle.

We, the party Rødt (Red), strongly condemn these actions taking by the Government of Egypt and state police and intelligence. We demand all political prisoners to be released unconditionally without any further reprisals, including all members of the Muslim Brotherhood and other parties and organisations that are held in prisons or face martial courts.

Oslo, April 9th 2008

In solidarity
The Party Red, Norway
Arnljot Ask, international secretary