April 6 Youth Movement

April 6 Youth Movement
Haraket Shabab 6 April
حركة شباب 6 أبريل
حركة شباب 6 أبريل
Founded2008
FoundersAhmed Maher
Asmaa Mahfouz
Mohammed Adel
TypePressure group
Political group
FocusDemocracy
Social justice
Free and fair elections
Civil resistance
Secularism
Area served
Egypt
Key people
Ahmed Maher
Mohammed Adel
Amr Ali
Website6april.org

The April 6 Youth Movement (Arabic: حركة شباب 6 أبريل) is an Egyptian activist group established in Spring 2008 to support the workers in El-Mahalla El-Kubra, an industrial town, who were planning to strike on 6 April.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Activists called on participants to wear black and stay home on the day of the strike. Bloggers and citizen journalists used Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, blogs and other new media tools to report on the strike, alert their networks about police activity, organize legal protection and draw attention to their efforts.[7]

The New York Times has identified the movement as the political Facebook group in Egypt with the most dynamic debates.[8] As of January 2009, it had 70,000 predominantly young and educated members, most of whom had not been politically active before; their core concerns include free speech, nepotism in government and the country's stagnant economy.[8] Their discussion forum on Facebook features intense and heated discussions, and is constantly updated with new postings.

The April 6 movement is using the same raised fist symbol as the Otpor! movement from Serbia, that helped bring down the regime of Slobodan Milošević and whose nonviolent tactics were later used in Ukraine and Georgia. Mohammed Adel, a leader in the April 6 movement, studied at the Centre for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies, an organization founded by former Otpor! members. The movement was banned by an Egyptian court on 28 April 2014.[9] The Constitution Party condemned the verdict, arguing that the charges against the movement were "false" and that the court ruling was an example of state institutions undermining and destroying the rule of law.[10] Hamdeen Sabahi's presidential campaign warned of the "return to a state of suppression and banning."[10] Abdul Ghaffar Shukr, vice president of the National Council for Human Rights, has stated that the council is prepared to stand in solidarity with the April 6 Youth Movement, and will aid the movement if it requests assistance.[11] Human Rights Watch condemned the ruling as "a clear violation of citizens' rights to free association, peaceful assembly, and free expression."[12] The April 6 movement has vowed to defy the ban, as well as attempt to repeal it.[13]

  1. ^ Wolman, David (20 October 2008). "Cairo Activists Use Facebook to Rattle Regime". Wired. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  2. ^ Ghafour, Hamida (25 August 2008). "Parliament is burning, and the watching crowd is laughing". The National. Martin Newland. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  3. ^ Hussein, Abdel-Rahman (27 July 2008). "Protestors say Agrium plant is like Nazi gas chambers". Daily News Egypt. Egyptian Media Services. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  4. ^ Carr, Sarah (30 July 2008). "April 6 youth detainees still in custody despite release order". Daily News Egypt. Egyptian Media Services. Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  5. ^ Hussein, Abdel Rahman (18 September 2008). "Emaar accused of culpability in Duweiqa rockslide". Daily News Egypt. Egyptian Media Services. Archived from the original on 27 September 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  6. ^ Al-Anani, Khalil (2 September 2008). "In Focus: The Dilemma of Egypt's Liberals". Daily News Egypt. Egyptian Media Services. Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  7. ^ Radsch, Courtney (Fall 2008). "Core to Commonplace: The evolution of Egypt's blogosphere". Arab Media & Society. American University of Cairo. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  8. ^ a b Shapiro, Samantha M. (22 January 2009). "Revolution, Facebook-Style". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  9. ^ "We will not be silenced: April 6, after court order banning group". Ahram Online. 28 April 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  10. ^ a b "April 6 court ban is politicised: Egypt groups". Ahram Online. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  11. ^ "National Council for Human Rights express solidarity with April 6". The Cairo Post. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  12. ^ "Banning 6 April movement is a clear violation of citizens' rights: HRW". Daily News Egypt. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  13. ^ "Egypt's April 6 Youth Movement to appeal ban". Ahram Online. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.