Egypt: ITUC condemns police repression against demonstrators

Brussels, 25 January 2011 (ITUC OnLine): Tens of thousands of peaceful demonstrators were protesting today in the capital of Cairo, as in many other Egyptian cities including Alexandria, Aswan, Mahallah, Ismailiya. As in Tunisia, they are demanding social and political reforms, blaming corruption, poverty, high prices and police brutality.

Not authorized by the Egyptian authorities, these protests, joined by many independent trade unionists, were facing massive police presence and in some cases were heavily repressed.

The ITUC condemns the use of tear gas and violence against demonstrators and calls for the immediate release of the people arrested today. The ITUC also condemns the censorship of some means of communication today in Egypt.

Having already expressed in the last weeks its serious concerns for the Egyptian people as for those of several other countries in the region, the General Secretary of the ITUC once again calls on the governments of the region to open up to real social dialogue and listen to the legitimate aspirations of their people. "The Egyptian people who were peacefully expressing their legitimate rights to social justice and freedom of expression have to be listened to and their concerns taken into account".

ENDS

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