Leonie Northedge
On
Ruled under a state of emergency since the assassination of
The successful ousting of
Kifaya - 'Enough'
The critical mass of Egyptians hitting the streets was key to the revolution's success in toppling Mubarak, but changes in the opposition scene over the last ten years helped to lay the groundwork. The polarisation of opposition groups between religious and secular elements - a weakening factor which was adeptly exploited by the regime - was slowly being eroded. This change was embodied by the Kifaya movement, which can perhaps be identified as the first expression of united opposition to the Mubarak regime by activists from across the political spectrum.
A loose coalition of opposition groups, political parties and independent activists, Kifayawas formed in 2004 in the run up to the 2005 legislative elections. The protests organised by Kifaya were nowhere near the size of the demonstrations which finally toppled Mubarak, but they challenged what had previously been taboo: questioning the position of the president himself.
The Kifaya movement also broke new ground by using digital technology and social media to organise protests and foster cooperation between varied opposition groups. The Egyptian blogging scene expanded rapidly in the mid-2000s, with blogs playing a part in mobilising young Egyptians to participate in protests and in reporting the events of demonstrations, which were often harshly policed.
Bloggers began to take a key role in bringing to light abuses committed by the regime and security services, posting photo and video evidence of detainee abuse. A video posted by blogger
'We Are All Khaled Said'
Police brutality remains a key mobilising issue, and now Egyptians have a new tool at their disposal:
It was on
It was through the 'We are all
'How To Revolt Peacefully'
Prior to the huge demonstration on
One young Egyptian described how everyone he knew had been sent the guide - he had received it several times over including from friends living abroad. "There's nothing new in it," he insisted, "but everyone wanted to make sure that their friends and family were well prepared, to protect themselves against tear gas for example."
Activists made astute use of all the communication tools at their disposal, while the regime tried and failed to control the protests by clamping down on the internet and mobile phone networks. The regime also fought back by broadcasting a counter-narrative on state television - initially ignoring the protesters, then attempting to discredit them by reporting that they were mostly foreign, or that they were trained in
Television remains a key medium in
And while Al Jazeera's dedicated coverage of the protests made it the go-to channel for analysts and policymakers in both the west and the Arab world, it was a private Egyptian channel which provided one of the 'game-changing' moments of the revolution. Shortly after his release following twelve days of detention by the interior ministry,
Broadcast on the evening of February 7,when it seemed that Mubarak and the protesters had reached an uneasy stalemate, the interview gave the demonstrations a renewed impetus. The following day thousands more Egyptians flooded onto the streets, many saying that they were inspired after watching
A 'Facebook Revolution'?
An Egyptian joke doing the rounds describes how Mubarak dies, and on the way to the Pearly Gates meets former presidents
It goes without saying that revolutions are complex events, difficult to explain and even more difficult to predict. Governments were toppled by mass protest before the advent of
But digital communications, social media and the proliferation of satellite TV channels outside of state control have undoubtedly changed the political landscape in the
Even with eight state television channels to broadcast its message, Mubarak's government could not counter the growing awareness among Egyptians - an awareness fostered by a new digitally-enabled political environment - that peaceful mass protest had the potential to bring about the change they had so long waited for.
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