Revolutionary Socialists: The “Brave Kids” of Egypt

Revolutionary Socialists: The “Brave Kids” of Egypt
By: Bisan Kassab – 15 February, 2012 – Al-Akhbar

Egypt’s Revolutionary Socialists are far from the politically irresponsible group they are now made to be. They started their political activism in support of Egypt’s labor movement over two decades ago and adopted a radical but pragmatic course for change.

Cairo – Some activists used the term “brave kids” when describing the Revolutionary Socialists (RS) last December. Even though they had previously come under fierce criticism from leftists and liberals for working with Islamists, they were also facing a legal complaint by Gamal Taj, a lawyer and prominent member in the Muslim Brotherhood.

The complaint accused the RS of seeking to destroy the state. It cited a statement by RS member Sameh Naguib that the old state must collapse, as should the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), after its soldiers lose trust in their leadership.

But due to widespread condemnation of the Islamists on social networking sites and newspapers, they quickly withdrew the complaint. Brotherhood leaders, including their Supreme Guide Mohammad Badie, also issued a statement disowning Taj’s complaint. The Freedoms Committee in the Bar Association also criticized the Brotherhood for lodging the complaint.

The RS were the first to warn against the SCAF taking power on the very day Hosni Mubarak was ousted and when the Military Council was still viewed as the “protector of the revolution” for remaining neutral. Today their publications openly blame the ruling SCAF for much of the post-revolutionary violence and repression.

The RS are also known for their passionate defense of the working class, particularly when unions were accused of stubbornly refusing to back down on their demands for the sake of economic stability. …more