Imider is located between Tinghir and Boumalne Dades in the south-east of Morocco. It’s a small village with rustic charm. Those who dwell there are marked by their simplicity and hospitality. “Tamazgha” is the word for land inhabited by residents who speak Tamazight, commonly known in the west as “Berber.” It is a dry, remote region in the mountains, still maintaining traditional religious values and not yet tarnished by massive globalization. What is more striking is that if you read about the popular understanding of Imider, one is surprised to find out that people know the area as one of the most famous silver mines in North Africa and the 7th largest in the world. Major profits are generated by it on a daily basis. However, a certain irony lies in the fact that these same people were ignored, despite the life that they had been living there long before the mine — human beings who suffer daily because of that mine. The great majority ignores both the mine and residents primarily because the owners are reluctant to make the the commercial affair a widely-known fact. They want it remain under cover permanently, and for that very reason, have kept the media from discovering the facts. It’s been nearly three years of discomfort and struggles that the Imidri people have endured through their peaceful sit-in. They are condemned to all forms of humiliation in their ‘occupied land.’ They are, roughly speaking, subject to acts of ‘looting’ and dramatic disruptions in their daily lives. All these impositions can be attributed to human cupidity to possess. It is, simply speaking, pure greed.
Category Archives: North Africa
MOROCCO: An Epiphany in Imider: the true history, how it began, how it has been ignored
22.11.2014 by By Abdellatif Talibi
EGYPT: Egypt’s “gay wedding” furor: A ship of fools
In Egypt any man can harass, brutalize, and rape a woman. It happens all the time. The State will ignore it for as long as possible; the media will say she asked for it. Just try a harmless expression of mutual, consensual desire, though. They’ll hound you to within an inch of your life.
Let’s start with the video. It came out of nowhere, but by Saturday morning it was everywhere. That day — it was August 30 — I spent with some young, impeccably liberal Egyptians. They kept staring with stunned fixation at their smartphones, repeatedly hitting “play,” watching it go viral, wondering what was going to happen to the men. The YouTube comments could have told you what was coming: “They’re outside of prisons; they should worship God within them,” one outraged viewer wrote. That night I met with some of the men in the clip. One of them kept breaking uncontrollably into tears. They were trying to report the invasion of privacy, get YouTube to take it down. No use: By next day, it was on the website of Youm7 — the tabloid that’s been carrying on a homophobic campaign for months — and on TV. You think you are just a private person, contained in the fences of your skin; then suddenly you find you’ve escaped yourself, become a common spectacle and possession, a fetish cupped in the palms of everybody’s hands. No doubt this is why politicians and movie stars are so vacuous, stripped of self; but imagine sitting in ordinary obscurity and abruptly discovering you’re now an infinitely duplicable, circulating flash of light. “Mirrors and copulation are both abominable,” Borges wrote — it was one of the aphorisms of his invented world of Tlon — “because they multiply mankind.” But that was before the Internet. Read the rest of this entry
MOROCCO: Racist Attacks in Boukhalef
The violence in Boukhalef, a quarter of Tangier in the North of Morocco, has reached a new dimension. Friday night, the 29th of August, a racist group armed with knives and bats attacked migrants and killed at least one person – a Senegalese – by cutting his throat with a knife, several others were badly injured and were brought to a hospital. Some of them are still in critical conditions. People talk about up to 3 more deaths which is not yet confirmed. Read the rest of this entry
EGYPT: Solidarity with the hunger strikers in Egypt
A growing number of political prisoners in Egypt have started hunger strikes in protest at lengthy jail terms, long periods of pre-trial detention, and ill-treatment in prison. Read the rest of this entry
السـيسي….رؤيه شديدة الموضوعيه
بقلم ياسر عبد القويماشي سنتكلم بموضوعيه عن السيسي، بموضوعيه مطلقه
هذا هو السيسي بكل موضوعيه:
1- مدير ا للمخابرات الحربيه سابق في عهده تسللت قوات أجنبيه حتى وسط عاصمة البلاد وقتلت مواطنين مصريين واقتحمت السجون وأنسحبت دون أي خسائر في الارواح والمعدات،ودون ان يتم رصدها، طبعا طبقا للمتداول في الإعلام الرسمي وشبه الرسمي وطبقا لما قرره محامو العادلي ومبارك في المحكمه. 2- مديرا للمخابرات الحربيه في عهده قامت القوات العسكريه التابعه للدوله-الجيش- بإجراء كشف طبي إجباري على إناث دون موافقتهن مما يصنف طبقا للمعايير الدوليه بأعتباره هتك عرض.
3- مديرا للمخابرات الحربيه في عهده حولت وحدات عسكريه تابعة للدوله المتحف المصري لمركز للإحتجاز والتعذيب كما سببت بالمتحف تلفيات وخسائر لم يتم للأن حصرها.
4- وزيرا للدفاع في عهده قامت وحدات عسكريه كاملة التسليح تابعة للتشكيل العسكري المسمى (الجيش الثالث ) بالإعتداء وتهديد وإرهاب عمال مضربين سلميا.
5- وزيرا للدفاع أرتكب جريمتي التأمر على قائده الاعلى والعصيان المسلح وصولا للإنقلاب العسكري، الحقيقه رقص وترقيص 400 مليون أو 400 مليار في الشارع لا يزييل عنه صفة الانقلاب العسكري، دي مسأله يحددها قانون دولي وأعراف عالميه مش صيع ومخبرين الفضائيات.
6- وزيرا للدفاع والحاكم الفعلي لمصر أرتكبت في عهده وتحت أشرافه وبأوامره المباشرة القوات العسكريه التابعه للدوله مجازر متعمدة متعددة ضد متظاهرين ومعتصمين مدنيين عزل لم يقدم اي دليل مادي على تسلحهم، ورافق تلك المجازر عمليات تنكيل بالجرحى وتمثيل بالجثث.
7- وزيرا للدفاع والحاكم الفعلي لمصر أعتقل في عهده وبمعرفته وبأوامره المباشره أكثر من 41 ألف شخص خلال 10 شهور فقط، اغلبهم بتهم واهيه وكيديه، وأصبح الاغتصاب ممارسة أعتياديه للاجهزه الامنيه، ووجهت ضربات قاتله لحريات التظاهر والممارسه السياسيه والتعبير عن الرأي، معيدا أيانا لنقطة أسوأ حتى من 24 يناير 2011.
8- مرشحا للرئاسه، لم يقدم أي برنامجا سياسيا او اقتصاديا من اي نوع، ولم يشارك في أي مؤتمر انتخابي من اي نوع مما يدل على تعاليه على الجماهير وخوفه من مواجهتها مما يوحي بشخصيه مهزوزه، جبانه، عاجزه عن المواجهه.
9- مرشحا للرئاسه، شنت الأجهزه الإعلاميه والأمنيه لصالحه حملة تخويف وإرهاب ضد أي مرشح محتمل، وأستمرت الحمله ضد المرشح الوحيد الذي سمح به.
10- رئيسا للجمهوريه، استمرت عمليات القمع والقتل التي تمارسها الوحدات المسلحه التابعه للدوله، وعمليات الترهيب لأي معارضة سياسيه أو تعبير عن الرأي.
11- رئيسا للجمهوريه، أصدر حزمة من القرارات الاقتصاديه تطيح بالبقية الباقيه من الحقوق الاجتماعيه للكادحين والفقراء، وتضع عبء عجز الموازنه العامه على كاهل الأفقر في المجتمع لصالح رفاهية الطغمه العسكريه وبقية الاجهزه المسماه (سياديه) ولصالح الطبقات الاغنى المستغله بالمجتمع.
هذا هو الموقف الموضوعي في عبد الفتاح السيسي
أنت يا من تسانده أسمح لي بسؤال موضوعي:
انت بني أدم أصلا؟ محسوب ع البشر فعلا؟؟؟
المصدر: قهوه ساده على الكورنيش
EGYPT: On Alaa’s hunger strike
[Alaa’s family statement follows this article]
By Omar Robert Hamilton
After three spells of imprisonment since the start of the revolution, Alaa Abd El Fattah has declared that he is starting a hunger strike. Alaa is one of 25 people who were sentenced to 15 years in prison for attending/organizing a protest in November. A protest in which a policeman who was filmed strangling a young woman fell over and lost his walkie talkie. All 25 men are charged with stealing the walkie talkie. 24 of those men were arrested at the protest at random. Alaa was taken from his house in the middle of the night two days later — he is a regular target of successive Egyptian governments because of his work as a blogger and activist.
In all his 238 days lost to prison since being identified as a leading ideologue of the revolutionary youth, Alaa has never chosen to go on hunger strike before. So why now and what can it achieve? Read the rest of this entry
خطاب مفتوح للرفاق بالحركه الاناركيه-كردستان/ An open letter to comrades in the Kurdish anarchist movement from the Libertarian Socialist Movement (Egypt)
[English follows Arabic]
الرفاق الاعزاء بالحركة الاناركية الكرديه
وصلنا عتابكم لنا على تأخرنا في اصدار بيان تضامن مع الشعب الكردي والأقليات بشمال العراق وسوريه والتي تتعرض لهجمة وحشية مخيفه من التنظيم الفاشي المعادي للبشر المسمى (الدوله الإسلاميه بالعراق والشام)، ولعل لكم كل الحق في ذلك العتاب، فقد كنتم دائما سباقين في دعمنا والتواصل معنا كحركة أناركية بمصر، لكن ما منعنا من أصدار مثل ذلك البيان هو شعورنا بعجز الكلمات وتقزمها أمام ما تتعرضون له كشعب وما تتعرض له أقليات شمال العراق وسوريه، فكل ما تعرضنا له من مضايقات لا يساوي شيئا مقارنة بالهول المخيف الذي تتعرضون له، أي بيان يمكننا ان نصدر؟ وأي كلمات يمكنها ان تعبر عما في نفوسنا من غضب وحزن وألم؟ إن بيانات التضامن والإدانه لم تعد تعني شيئا، ولن نقزم مأساتكم بإصدار مجرد بيان إدانة وتضامن، إننا ندرك تماما ان الانتفاضات الشعبية التي سميت (الربيع العربي) على ما شابها من قصور في الوعي وضحالة في الأهداف والأليات كانت زلزالا ارعب ليس فقط الأنظمة الديكتاتورية العميله بالمنطقه، بل اصاب بالذعر القوى الإمبرياليه السلطويه بالعالم كله وهم يشاهدون عدوى تلك الأنتفاضات تنتقل لبلدانهم في الولايات المتحده واليونان وأسبانيا وتركيا وغيرها، كما اصابت تلك الانتفاضات القوى الرجعيه المحليه العميله بالفزع وهددت بعصر جديد تستيقظ فيه الشعوب وتنهض لتأخذ زمام المبادرة بنفسها دون إتكال على حزب أو تنظيم سلطوي، فكان ان سلطت الرأسمالية العالميه سلاحها القديم المجرب جيدا (الفاشيه الدينيه) لتجعلها السلاح الذي يدمر تلك الانتفاضات الشعبيه ويخرجها عن مسارها ويحطم أي امل او طموح لها ويحولها لمطية لوصول تلك الفاشيات للحكم كبديل للفاشيات القوميه والوطنيه التي أهلكتها الشيخوخة والفساد، إن الكيان الإجرامي المسمى (داعش) ليس سوى إعادة إنتاج لكل بشاعة النازيه الهتلريه في ممارسته للتطهير العرقي والمذابح الجماعيه، ذلك الكيان المعادي للبشريه الذي أستخدم لتحطيم الثوره الشعبيه السوريه والقضاء على أي امل لتحرك ثوري شعبي بالعراق، يقوم الان بتدمير شعوب المنطقه نفسها، ماديا ومعنويا عبر المذابح والإباده الجماعيه، متسلطا على الأكراد والمسيحيين واليزيديين وكل الأقليات العرقيه والدينيه بقدر ما يتسلط على الأغلبيه العربيه السنيه مدمرا اياها ومخضعا لها لرؤيته الشيطانيه للعالم Read the rest of this entry
EGYPT: Statement of the Shura Council Defendants
[Statement follows article which provides background information]
Cairo Criminal Court sentenced activist Alaa Abd El Fattah and 24 others to 15 years jail in absentia, a LE100,000 fine and five years’ surveillance on Wednesday, in a trial known as the Shura Council case, raising severe concerns among lawyers and family members. Read the rest of this entry
MOROCCO: You can arrest us but you can’t silence us: politically motivated arrests and detention in Morocco
By Leila Al Shami
6 June 2014, Sit in calling for the release of political prisoners in Casablanca. Photo Via: @LeJebly
Morocco’s Arab Spring was short lived. The protest movement that emerged was somewhat pacified by the State with promises of reform and initiatives to tackle corruption and improve human rights. A new constitution was passed. These promises were mainly empty rhetoric and voices of dissent continue, and continue to be suppressed by the authorities. It’s estimated that around 300 are currently in Morocco’s prisons for voicing opposition to the regime.
Over the past three years activists from the 20 February Movement, a youth-led pro-democracy movement which emerged in Morocco as part of the regional uprisings, have been subject to arbitrary arrests, torture and even murdered by the State. But the movement was not silenced. Read the rest of this entry
EGYPT: Cracking down on dissent: The fascist State and persecution of political opponents
Egyptian woman mourns following verdict sentencing 683 alleged supporters of Muslim Brotherhood to death (Photo: AP)
By Leila Al Shami for Tahrir-ICN
Since the July coup the fascist military regime in Egypt has continued to persecute political opponents. Those who have faced the worst repression of the State have been Muslim Brotherhood supporters, but also affected have been anarchists, leftist activists, workers, journalists and civil organizations.
Today (28 April 2014) an Egyptian court in Minya sentenced 683 alleged supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood to death, including leading members of the Muslim Brotherhood. They were found guilty of attacking the Adawa police station in August and killing a policeman following the violent dispersal of the pro-Morsi sit-ins in Nahda and Rabaa Squares. Last month 529 Muslim Brotherhood supporters were sentenced to death for attacking a police station in the same province despite evidence that many defendants were not present at the scene on the day in question and despite claims by some defendants that they are not Brotherhood supporters. 492 of the March death sentences have now been commuted to life imprisonment. Read the rest of this entry
