A solidarity statement from the Women Occupying Wall Street to our Egyptian sisters
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 27, 2011, 2:52 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
We send our strongest support and solidarity to the thousands of women in Tahrir Square and across Egypt protesting the unacceptable violent assault of women protesters by the military. We are troubled, shocked, and outraged at images of a woman protester being beaten and stripped in the streets.
Systematic targeting, marginalization, silencing, and violence against women by anyone, especially the military authorities entrusted to protect us, are unacceptable.These tactics are brutal, criminal and dishonorable. We share your anger.
We recognize the brave women of Egypt and women around the world who risk their lives to protest unjust systems. Women are powerful and essential forces in revolutions. Your power and courage are incredibly inspiring to all women.
We send solidarity and encouragement to you in this honorable fight to protect women’s rights. We join you in outrage and support your fight for peace and justice. We stand united with all women of Egypt.
United, we will never be defeated.
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Sending positive spirit your way sisters!!!
Another world is possible!
Occupy the Earth.
I hope justice will come soon for them
Women will be the ones to make the biggest difference in this world.
Yes, we need to let the women in these countries know we stand by them in their efforts to effect change in their countries from oppression to freedom!
Solidarity to my sisters in Egypt!
The Whole World Is Watching!
"Take to the streets and do not be afraid. We are in a state of revolution and anything can happen." -Samira Ibrahim
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Anything did happen... The Islamists are taking Egypt over.
There is only one way to verify virginity and that involves checking to see if the hymen has been broken. This can be something as benign as a gynecological exam. Or as nasty as having some cop or soldier stick his fingers in you. Finding a broken hymen does not always mean the female is not a virgin. The hymen can be broken due to medical exams, masturbation, medical problems requiring entry of medical instruments etc. If any man forced my child to undergo such a test he would not survive a week assuming i knew where to find him. I care not if she is 3 or 30 no one violates my daughter against her will. If an individual soldier or cop is not identified then tho police station gets burned, anyone running out is a dead man. problem is men in the middle east do not value daughters and do not protect them.
Regardless.... what the fuck is it anyone else's business whether a woman is a virgin or not? THAT is the REAL issue.
I agree. Being arrested for protesting injustice, is no reason to call some ones sexual past into question. A woman can have sex with as many or as few partners as she likes as far as i am concerned. We all like sex. I only ask that people who are not ready to have kids, please use protection.
agreed
It's important to their culture much like obnoxious women in slutty high heals are a part of ours
Hey, "king' -- Haters of women need not apply.
I don't hate women I absolutely adore them. Ask any one woman I know.
Yeah, I see that.
Believe what you want I don't really care. There are woman I dislike and women I like and the same goes for men. I'm definitely not as sexist as you seem to think I am.
Cut the sexism.
Its not sexist its the truth. You can't tell me that women like this aren't much more prevalent that they were 30, 20, or even 10 years ago.
Nope. There is zero way to verify virginity in girls/women. It's a made up concept. Even the existence of a hymen "covering" the vaginal opening is based on cultural perceptions of women and sexual stereotypes.
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Where exactly do you get that last bit of information?
You know it as well as we do. What American kills his daughter because she refuses to marry some old guy he promised her to? Who sells his 8-year-old daughter into marriage to some crud with a bunch of other wives? Who allows his daughter to be whipped with a cane until she is dead, or buried in the ground and stoned to death, because she broke some stupid religious rule? And when did you see some middle eastern man allow the same treatment of his sons?
I believe Christians used to actually perform this (or buried in the ground and stoned to death, because she broke some stupid religious rule?) particular procedure as well. I wonder why people also wanna forget the Christian crusades while they are always pointing at Islam. I think most ALL religion is completely absurd and should be abolished. The world can do without the divisiveness of lying and hateful religions.
Yes. Especially those vile Buddhists!
If there is any decent form of religion the Buddhists are to me the closest to that. but even so, i still think the world is better off without religion of any kind.
Buddhism started as a way of life, not as a religion. It's people in the modern times who have made it into more of a religion.
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Do you believe this or know this? I think you're a douchebag. I think your brain should be abolished. The world can do without the divisiveness of lying and hateful people like you.
its a fairly obvious fact for anybody that has truly opened their minds and shed their brainwashing. waking up from brainwashing can be a very difficult and painful process, because it means admitting that you have been lied to all of your life and that you actually believed all the lies. thats not an easy process for most. it was a tough process for myself included. it cost me my family and much more. but i would rather live alone in the truth than together in a lie. so i am okay with it all. its an absolute fact about being stoned to death. its written right in the bible. you should really do some studying. i was raised in the church and gave that lie up man many years ago. religion is just another of the many devices used by governments and the elite to control people through fear and used to keep people divided through the divisions that these different beliefs create. the funny thing about you, is that i simply pointed out some facts and not in a hateful manner. there is nothing hateful about what i said. but then you go to calling me very ugly names. i think its fairly obvious who the truly hateful one out of the two of us happens to be. you should really do your research and think it out a little bit. how can any truly loving religion be founded on violence and killing people (crusades). its quite an absurdity. are you a christian? i ask because you are really sounding like one to me at this point. funny how soldiers pray to a loving and forgiving god that says to be forgiving and to love thine enemy, right before they go into the battlefield to kill people. religions are no good for the people. i believe there is something greater than us all, some creator. but no man is wise enough to know what the details are. it takes no religion to be a decent or good person.
I agree with you 100% and tell people these same things all the time. Of course, the religious ones are the ones who get pissed off and start calling names and telling me why I'm inferior to them.
fucking irony
No it doesn't, but you are wrong and when you are playing a nice pickup baseball game down at the park someday, get beaned by a pitch, croak, and meet your maker, you will tremble. In the last days men will be scoffers... Religions are no good for you, and that is fine, but to say all religions should be abolished? You get to decide that? Good one.
I am okay with where I stand. I believe in a higher power. Just not in the manner that religions teach it. Out of me and you, I think you have much more to worry about than me. After all, you are the one calling me names and wishing death on me for simply pointing out my beliefs. And your scoffer comment tells me much about where you stand. Your devotion to Baseball does as well. Apple Pie, Baseball and Jesus, maybe? I don't really care for mainstream sports either. Especially in this day and era. Because it has become another forum that is all about greed now. I always liked extreme sports much better anyways. I also always found it very odd how all these so called tough macho heterosexual male sports heroes always run around slapping each other on the butt during the games. I am okay with gay people too. It doesnt bother me that people are gay. Its not my place to judge them for choosing to be who they truly feel they are. Just simply found that really odd about mainstream sports. Me and my friends and most other people I know tend to pat or smack each other on the backs, not each others butts. Even most all the gay people I know dont run around smacking each other on the butt. Heck, most people in general do not practice smacking each other on the butt, outside of people in intimate personal relationships of course. I mean, I used to smack my wife on the butt and her me. And if your NO IT DOESNT comment refers to Christians stoning people, you are absolutely WRONG and havent read a Bible front to back as I have many times. I also never said that I get to decide that all religions be abolished. But if I could decide that, I absolutely would. I wont tremble before my creator either. I will be happy to be in my creators presence. I will simply hope that I have grown into a worthy enough human being to stand before my creator in my creators favor.
ditto
I enjoy playing sports a lot but only watch amateur sports or pro sports that get very little, if any, attention at all. The materialism and greed has gotten too great, and it's a HUGE turnoff to me.
Dear Kirby, as a Christian (unapologetically) I have to say the way you're approaching this won't help much. These people have zero knowledge of the bible, no understanding about God or Jesus, and as it is, even the Protestant and Catholic churches have failed historically at really showing Christ to the masses. We're used to reading about how Israel (the Jewish people) failed to even recognize their own messiah Jesus, and sent Him to the cross with the Romans. If you're truly honest about the church's history, we've done so many times ourselves, and have yet to own up to it. Hence, why we have so many scoffers around us. Your calling unbelievers names doesn't help either.
Mormons do shit like this. Maybe they don't kill their daughters, but dads take their virginity when they are very young, and they sell them to nasty old men for marriage.
I've seen quite a few murders and attempted murders that would have qualified as honor killings were they done by a muslim family out of some US states. And religiously motivated, too.
Off topic, why isn't there any forum moderation? Why are all the conspiracy theorists and spammers left to kill this forum? They are murdering logical thought and discussion.
Because they're mostly not being reported and we're doing what we can with only six people who don't really have time to check the forum constantly, and you're not particularly helping with your trolling.
If you feel that I'm trolling and not helping, then you should ban me. It should take only a minute of your time to go to your admin panel and do this.
If you don't have enough moderators to moderate, then you should ask for more volunteers. OWS is a big protest which involves a lot of people and I'm sure many would be willing to volunteer some time to help improve this forum which serves as the Internet window for OWS. I'm sure it would be very easy to find more moderators.
Iv'e reported many spammers yesterday, but they are still here. Their postings are aimed at linking to sites which offer free television shows. Iv'e also identified many conspiracy theorists who are breaking the forum rule #2.
What is the best way to report spammers and conspiracy theorists? I usually message jart. This worked in the past when I helped her identify a major spammer. I'm talking about the one spamming his global thingy link.
Iv'e also messaged jart about providing code as pull requests for the Github account, but have not received a reply. I wanted to help curb spamming by implementing some filters.
Please help save this forum by doing what you can, or finding others to do the moderation job if you don't have enough time.
Jart's mostly not doing moderation unless she really needs to.
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I take it you don't really care what happens to this site.
Care to comment on my other points and concerns?
My most humble apologies. I read middle class instead of middle east. That was a mistake on my part and I'm sorry about it.
I don't need a science book. You Know why a woman bleeds her first time right? There is a piece of skin called the hymen over the cervix. Okay never mind. If this needs to be explained to you you are probably too young to know it.
I think you DO need a science book, one that explains more than the one-phrase misinformation that has caused many a virgin to be "put away" or murdered.
Actually I understand where the confusion is. For some reason instead of middle east I read middle class. My apologies.
Masturbation !
Do I win the prize for correct answer ?
W.T.F. ?
Is this what OWS has become? A platform to talk about various ways to check a woman's virginity and the pitfalls associated with such checks. These problems seem very far from NYC.
Give these authoritarian pricks a few years without someone standing up to them they will do it too. The WORLD is changing not just NYC or USA. These Egyptians are fighting the military not cops in riot gear. they are being shot not tear gassed. Besides if you think it cannot happen here, I have a vocabulary lesson for you. "Cavity Search" They can check your ass or vagina for drugs. It is not about finding drugs it is about showing you they can abuse you any way they like and you cannot stop them.
The point of the issue is the violation of women by "authorities". I don't think that is hard to figure out. Regardless of why they are being violated, they are being violated.
The point is, the author of the highest comment on this page is talking about the art of identifying virgins and I think this is quite far from the preoccupations OWS supporters should have. You don't realize it, but you're being distracted from the core issues and problems facing America today. OWS supporters are not focused at the moment.
What's your take on Javanese orphans? Can we discuss this issue instead of talking about ways to get money out of politics. No wait, I'd like to talk about the tradition of Sumo Wrestling. It think it's horrible that men in 2011 go through a life of over eating thereby endangering their lives only to entertain a few Japanese business men. What is this world coming to? What's your take on terraforming? Would you like to talk about the prostitution problem in Thailand? Are you a Trecky or a Star Wars fan? You can't be both right? It's like cat vs dog people. It's one or the other. Like the OWS dichotomy of the 99% vs the 1%.
The article IS NOT ABOUT HOW TO IDENTIFY WHO IS A VIRGIN AND WHO ISN'T. It doesn't matter what someone comments. You said, "Is this what OWS has become? A platform to talk about various ways to check a woman's virginity and the pitfalls associated with such checks. These problems seem very far from NYC."
One person's opinions/comments don't represent the OWS movement. Get a fucking clue.
You make good points. It's too bad you need to swear in your comments.
nuchems were secretly smuggled through recycling centers and dumps now incorporated into the landscaping, its called tubing and explosives that are put into molds to look like ordinary landscaping rocks even in the rivers covered wires and in conjunction with magnetics. Theres been rigging inside for a very long time. Any americans left you need to scout and scooch it out. clean it up, its on you.
If anonymous is so capable how come they dont know about the mass homebuilt computers (so not to be on record) financed by overseas and inside us soil corruption placed under public storage 'units' or the computer chips smuggled into the us on the tags of oriental blankets during coordinated attacks from within and outside the internet goes down then they come up and they have internet and the american people dont. Yes, theres been a war on the american people for a long time.
Occupy Chat Actions is a group of online chat participants in support of the Occupy movement. We support Occupy locations in every city, state and country. Our main focus is to create a forum that would provide information that would enable your participation regardless of location or ability to attend direct actions in person.
Our current initiative, Blue Bra's Against Violence, is in response to violent action towards an Egyptian female activist in Tahrir Square. This woman was beaten and stripped down by the Egyptian Military revealing a blue bra. The US government currently provides financial aid to the Egyptian Military thus supporting such deplorable violence. We suggest the following direct actions:
• “Like” our Blue Bras Against Violence Facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Bras-Against-Violence/257717124291041
• Go Viral and share the Facebook page, and our Tumblr with family and friends
• Send a blue bra to local congressman, house leaders and other government officials with the message disagreeing with the United States Egyptian policy. A policy that is harmful to the Egyptian people.
http://www.tumblr.com/blog/bluebrabrigade
and posting a picture there of you in your blue bra or the blue bra and message you are sending to our government officials.
I appreciate this post, however to really stand in solidarity with Egyptian women and all Egyptians Occupy must demand the US stop funding SCAF, the military junta, until Egyptians have truly won their democracy. Otherwise we are giving words from our mouths in support, while also giving money from our taxes to fund the crackdown.
Except by men
If only OWS could stick to working on American issues instead of spreading its wings in all directions. It really has become the Jack of all trades and master of none.
Um.... the message is one of solidarity.... meaning support for those women in Egypt. Does it say anything about OWS adopting this as one of its issues? No.... I didn't see that anywhere.
And, what OWS is fighting is the corruption and injustice that is behind such acts. It's not about individual acts but is about CORRUPTION and INJUSTICE across the board.
Apparently, you have a problem with comprehending what you read.
It takes time for OWS supporters to write these articles, and it takes up forum space to publish them. This time and space could be used for better purposes. This is my point.
Not only has it taken the time of the article's writer and space on this forum, it has resulted in us discussing this issue instead of discussing important American issues. The person with the highest comment on this page is discussing the art of identifying virgins for God's sake. How does this help OWS. Can't you see this is a huge waste of time and effort?
You can't take care of every problem in the world. There are already groups like Amnesty International that are fighting for human rights around the globe. OWS needs to concentrate its effort on US problems for now. The only reason it latches on to problems in Egypt is because OWS gets a hard on when it imagines itself creating a revolution like one of the three that happened during the Arab Spring protests. Fantasy time is over, it's time to start getting the job done.
Right now, OWS is slowly drowning because it is focused on the problems of others. Do you think Mohamed Bouazizi was thinking about problems in NYC when he committed self-immolation in Tunisia? Of course not. He was focused on the problems that he and his nation were facing. It's nice and dandy to want to help your neighbor, but in this case OWS needs to focus on itself first.
its true. we need to focus on OUR issues. i support human rights for all, but i thought ows was about wall street. why arent we unifying in support of bernie sanders "saving american democracy amendment" or kucinichs "national emergency employment defense act"
im personally really sick of the bs with ows. when it started i was with it 100% and i guess i still am. i just cant believe the inability to have a unified message. we need something like 4 or 5 demands we all want and agree on and stand behind those ideas. like...
-money out of politics. (publicly funded elections/campaigns.) -health care and education for all. (public options) -bring back glass-steagall. -corporations are not people. -huge cuts in defense spending.
OWS has been a worldwide movement from the start. You can't change the US alone and not change the rest of the world. The crisis is caused by international banks and corporations, wall street is only their playing ground. Don't underestimate international pressure.
Actually you can. The revolutionary war only changed the view other countries have of us and the amount of land that Britain controls and the lives lost during to fighting. Other than that you can change one and leave the rest alone tp sort out their own problems.
The US was also an irrelevant second rate country at the time.
The comparison at the time would be the french revolution, which led to all of Europe ganging up on it when they realized that Europe's most populous country was expanding and getting rid of kings left and right.
The way we're headed we're going to end up back that way again. We as a country don't need to control every other country. The Roma Empire broke up because it was just too large to control everything. Thus the split up.
What's your take on the art of identifying virgins? Do you agree with the OWS protester who has the highest comment on this page? What's your experience in the field?
Time square can be turned into our version of Tahrir Square @ New Years Eve and Day http://occupywallst.org/forum/occupy-new-year-eve-and-day-2012/
Time square can be turned into our version of Tahrir Square @ New Years Eve and Day http://occupywallst.org/forum/occupy-new-year-eve-and-day-2012/
Am I getting a Déjà vu moment here or is this WAY old news ?
Besides ; They are Occupying and dying while we are shouting from a death free zone ; CARRY ON !
The Russians are not being pepper sprayed and we are !
So how do we help them let alone ourselves ?
Another OWS misrepresentation of the reality...
"Harsh action by police against protesters this week also indicates authorities are unwilling to give any ground, and will continue to deny opposition groups permission for most rally permits and break up any unsanctioned gatherings.
Thousands of security forces were out in the Russian capital and helicopters roamed the sky Wednesday. At least 51,500 police officers and 2,000 paramilitary troops have been deployed in Moscow since the election, authorities say.
Squads of police lined the sidewalks around Moscow's Triumphal Square as opposition supporters tried to gather. Police pushed demonstrators back, seized some and dragged them into police vehicles. Demonstrators made several attempts to return to the square but were repeatedly repulsed. Moscow police spokesman Anatoly Lastovetsky said at least 20 people were detained." http://www.mail.com/int/news/europe/893612-anti-vote-fraud-protests-russia-3rd-night.html
The Russians may not be being "pepper sprayed" but to imply that they are being left alone by the authorities while Americans are being harassed is simply false.
In an attempt to quell the revolt, the Russian interior ministry called in troops. However, more violent scenes erupted as truncheon-wielding police clashed with hundreds of protesters and firebombs were thrown at pro-Kremlin activists.
Police made at least 250 arrests in Moscow’s Triumfalnaya Square, often using excessive force to sweep protesters into waiting buses before ferrying them to police stations to be charged.
Boris Nemtsov, one of the country’s main opposition leaders and a former first deputy prime minister, was arrested as soon as he appeared.
“I do not recall anything like it,” he said. “I had just emerged from the underpass when I was surrounded, trapped, and put in a car and without any explanation driven to the police station.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/8939283/Opposition-leader-held-as-Russia-beats-back-protests.html
You said: "The Russians are not being pepper sprayed and we are !"
This tells us where we are going, doesn't it?
No more pepper spray for us ?
no, probably MORE pepper spray. Possibly water hoses and dogs, too.
Women of the world stand strong against the many assaults against you. In many Arab countries the frustrated sex deprived male gropes at your body as they cover your body to hide their desires. They deprive you of your rights to freely live as they sqaush your desire to be you. They make you hide behind veils because others make you a desireable piece of meat. You are used, abused, enslaved and mistreated. You have no rights unless those that OWN you give you rights. You are a slave to your mate and your country. The Republicans seek and succeed in taking away your right to an abortion if the Republicans win control of the Presidency and Congress in the next election! Rise up and unshaggle the chains that entrap your mind, your spirit and your body! Vote to get the Republicans out of control of your life! Read my web page at www.mybetteramericaplan.com to see ideas that will save your life, your country and your planet. Ideas like having a 1-800-URE-CORD phone number world wide free recording service started so that women can record and thourouly idendifiy blind dates information so that molesters will know that they will be idendified and caught if they harm you on your blind date or drunken bar pickup situation.
Interesting that no one here mentions the fact that in Islamic countries women are second class people. None of you have the nutsack to speak this?
There are no women occupying wall street. There are women that used to occupy Zuccotti Park but are now in the cozy confines of their homes.
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