Tuesday 12 January 2010

Galloway right to relish Egypt expulsion

Contributed By Lucia

Galloway right to relish Egypt expulsion

In making an enemy of Hosni Mubarak's regime, George Galloway has taken a lead western governments should follow
George Galloway was deported from Egypt on Friday as "persona non grata" by the Egyptian authorities, accusing him of undermining Egyptian security. What a bizarre, twisted and demented accusation from a dictatorial regime that has ruled Egypt for over 30 years and which has been an accomplice with Israel to the Gaza blockade causing untold suffering of the Palestinian people.
Let me declare my interest from the outset, I am not a great fan of Galloway, in fact I am standing as the Liberal Democrats' parliamentary candidate for Bethnal Green and Bow, where he is the current MP, and in the next general election I will be providing a direct challenge to his party, Respect.
However, leaving aside party or political differences I agree with Galloway when he says "It's always been a badge of honour to be deported by a tinpot dictator". I, like many others around the world, have been disgusted by the way Egyptian authorities have dealt with this aid convoy. I have found Galloway courageous enough to stand up to both Israel and Egyptian authorities. It is a shame that no other British MPs or politicians have shown even an ounce of courage in the same way.
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has never been a friend of freedom-loving people. He has never supported just causes and of course he has never signed up to democratic reform in Egypt. No civilised person should have any word of support for this dictator nor should we have any economic or political relationship with the regime. People of Egypt have been strangled by this regime and if I ever support regime change, this regime would be at top of my list. Unfortunately, the British and American governments have sustained such illegitimate regimes for too long.
Mubarak has even been accused of meddling in changing the Egyptian constitution to ensure his son Gamal continues the families' grip on power and continue the reign of tyranny. Never mind Galloway calling for the overthrow of Mr Mubarak, we all should be doing the same.
I believe if the UK and the US government stopped supporting Mubarak, the people of Egypt will get rid of this dictator faster than we can blink. I remember meeting one senior Egyptian security personnel once who was very remorseful for behaving heavy-handedly to his political oppositions in his country but then confessed that he was only doing his job. I know this is not an isolated example. Given the right opportunity, international support and freedom, Egyptian society at every level would abandon Mubarak.
George Galloway, even your opponents would applaud you in your effort to help people of Gaza. We should all be doing the same. If fully functioning democracies in the world can do one thing to improve the world, it must be to end injustice.
River to Sea
 Uprooted Palestinian

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