protest: egypt

Brief Introduction

The peaceful Egyptian struggle towards democracy has been inspiring to say the least. Through digital communication, social networks, and word-of-mouth, the people were able to lead a peaceful revolution with millions of followers. Nevertheless, Dictator Hosni Mubarak has refused to stand down as president and is clinging on to what he has left of borrowed time. Following the withdrawal of the police force and the freedom of the prisoners, the plan was to unleash chaos but the Egyptian people have been able to run the country and secure the streets while protesting. They organized the following:

(NOTE: All these systems are established by members of the Egyptian civil society)

• Healthcare systems to care for the injured protesters
• Cleaning shifts to make sure the streets stay clean after the protests
• Food/Drink services where people share and distribute food/drinks
• Traffic systems to manage the roads and streets of the cities
• Security systems to protect the neighborhoods and residences from thugs released

Problem

However, the protesters have faced attacks and infiltration attempts from the pro-Mubarak supporters who are currently aiming at spreading chaos to diffuse the revolution. The protesters clashed on February 2, 2011 and the Anti-Mubarak protesters were chased by mounted government agents holding knives, swords, guns, Molotov cocktails and whips. In short: While the Egyptians managed to form healthcare, cleaning, ration, traffic, and security systems, they haven't yet started protesting following a plan.

Solution

The way the government is able to resist this revolution is simple and predictable. The Egyptian people have seen it for decades and know which acts to expect from the government. On the other hand, the government is running low on resources and cannot assemble in opposition of the people if they are able to march and protest in formation. The people lead a peaceful revolution and while some pleaded to the military for assistance today, it did not mobilize to assist due to higher orders.

The Egyptian youth needs to fill in the gap the military won't, they should march in formation (unarmed) and move as one unit. A box formation would include protesters and healthcare providers marching as one and able to efficiently protect themselves against any potential attacks. Of course, the logistics could be further developed to include firemen, ration-providers, or (unarmed) protesters on the offense to help push any attacks back with no violence.

Structuring of the protesters offers increased capability required to drive the revolution further. Having the protesters move according to a plan and formation (despite attempts to diffuse them) will boost their efficiency to protect one another and form an unbreakable unit able to confront opposition. The opposition will not risk moving against a well-organized protest knowing they have a diminishing chance of winning.

These are samples of formations.

http://rotc.iweb.bsu.edu/images/Photos/Formation.jpg
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/army-4.jpg

Please spread the word.

Omar Sheira

Poster courtesy of Larry West.