The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

At Height of Egypt Crisis, Amnesty International Shows Solidarity

At Height of Egypt Crisis, Amnesty International Shows Solidarity

Eighteen days of protest brought a modern-day dictatorship to its knees in Egypt, but the protests calling for the end to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year tenure were held far beyond Cairo.

On Saturday, Feb. 5, in a sea of signs outside of the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, protesters shouted slogans in English and Arabic.  WJ students from the Amnesty International club joined the protesters displaying solidarity with their counterparts in Egypt. They demanded that the United States stop supporting Mubarak, and they marched to the White House to carry the message to the President’s doorstep.

“Even though we live on the other side of the world, our voice can still be heard,” said senior Grace Hsu, president of the Amnesty International club at WJ. “Your call or your signature could be the tipping point that changes the course of history.”

While many of the protesters were Egyptian-Americans or Egyptians living in the United States, there was a large turnout of people who were not connected to Egypt personally. Children stood with their parents to protest the Egyptian government. Some were wrapped in the Egyptian flag; some held up signs quoting the Quran; others alleged CIA involvement or denounced U.S. support for the regime.

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“It’s a dire situation, but I think violence isn’t going to solve anything,” said junior Leo Mahony, who attended the protest. “I think that’s been the overall message to the Egyptian people.”

On Friday, Feb. 4, Muslims held a prayer in Tahrir Square, a rallying point in Cairo for many Egyptian protestors, protected by Christians. Prior to marching to the White House on Sunday, the protesters reenacted this prayer session, but conducted in reverse, as Muslims guarded a Christian prayer. The protest organizers referred to the Christians present at the Egyptian Embassy as “our Christian brothers.”

“Even though we’re not there, we’re with [the protesters] in spirit,” said junior Joshua Lehman, another WJ student who attended the events in the Capitol. “We’re not in Cairo, but we’re expressing our opinions like [the protesters].”

Other protests of solidarity were held around the country, including one in New York, where 150 people rallied at the United Nations headquarters, as well as gatherings in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle. Protests were also held in countries in Europe, as well as in the West Bank. On the Saturday after Mubarak’s resignaiton, many scheduled protests in cities around the world were held in celebration of his departure.

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