In the face of threats we are continuing the struggle for the victory of the revolution The Revolutionary Socialists

29 December 2011 http://www.e-socialists.net/node/8059 At the bottom of its front page on 28th December, the Freedom and Justice newspaper, mouthpiece of the Muslim Brotherhood, published a remarkable scoop: news of the formation of a special committee to investigate the Revolutionary Socialists by the Supreme State Security Prosecutor. The fact that this newspaper beat all other newspapers to this scoop, as the story appeared nowhere else, is testimony to the direct links between the Freedom and Justice Party and the security agencies in this country, and came as the culmination of a series of attacks, slanders and accusations directed by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafist forces. Attacks on their satellite channels were then followed by the presentation of an official complaint to the public prosecutor by Gamal Tag-alDin, member of the Muslim Brotherhood's political bureau, accusing the Revolutionary Socialists of planning to burn the country and promoting policies of violence. Although Tag-al-Din, perhaps under pressure from the association, and from a number of his colleagues and those in solidarity with us, went to the public prosecutor to withdraw the complaint, he would have been well aware, as an experienced lawyer that the complainant's withdrawal would not prevent the prosecutors from responding, if they felt there was a danger to state security, according to the news report published today. It is worth mentioning that while this campaign has been directed by the Brotherhood, some of its members have continued to make contact through intermediaries asking to visit the Centre for Socialist Studies, while others contacted our colleague Kamal Khalil asking him to write a response in the Freedom and Justice newspaper, as if this was nothing more than a misunderstanding between old friends. As the general campaign against revolutionaries of 25 January intensifies we would like to clarify some issues for our friends, those in solidarity with us, and for the Egyptian public in general: If the Muslim Brotherhood regret the initiative taken by one of their leaders in trying to win the approval of the military regime by making slanderous and false reports about the Revolutionary Socialists, and want to apologise then they should publish a unambiguous personal statement by the General Guide to this effect on the front page of their newspaper, just as they published the lies on the front page claiming that the Revolutionary Socialists call for violence first. We are fully aware that the Brotherhood is no more than a tool of the state in this respect, and that its role does not go beyond that of an informant. The main actor in this attack is the same security and 'exceptional' judicial apparatus which previously oppressed the Brotherhood, which the revolution was meant to overthrow and replace with an independent judiciary and a civilian security force which would serve the goals of the revolution and the revolutionaries, and preserve citizens

dignity and security. It is difficult to understand the attack by the Islamist forces and the security agencies on the Revolutionary Socialists in isolation from the role they played in the brave 25 January revolution, their unceasing support for the struggle of workers, peasants and professionals, their support for these forces in building their independent organisations, and defence of their right to demonstrate and strike to win their economic and social rights at a time when in the media and in society, these struggles were being attacked as 'selfish sectionalism'. It is difficult to understand this attack in isolation from the position of the Revolutionary Socialists in going down to the demonstration of 18 November, and their announcement of a boycott of the elections which are still continuing while the blood of the martyrs is still flowing and martyrs still falling to the bullets of the police and the army. Our struggle is not limited to a demonstration or a sit-in, but a serious battle for freedom, justice and human dignity, a struggle to get rid of corruption and purge all state institutions, to redistribute this country's wealth, and return to public ownership companies that were stolen from us, even though the courts have ruled in favour of the workers' calls for their renationalisation. It is a struggle to abolish State Security and not simply change its name, in a nave attempt to deceive a people who tasted the horrors of torture and detention under this apparatus. It is a struggle so that the state bears its responsibility to provide social services for the people in health, education, work and housing, instead of turning these into acts of charity by good people as if these things are gifts, favours or commodities for those who can afford to pay. We were serious when we shouted 'the people want the downfall of the regime', just as we are serious about demanding punishment after fair trials for all those who looted and oppressed this country for more than three decades. This was not a slogan coined in the heat of the moment, but one based on the conviction and the vision that building the Egypt of revolution requires preparing the ground, and its cleansing of the regime of Mubarak and its cronies. Nearly a year after the 25 January revolution despite all these forms of repression, detention, torture and killing despite smear campaigns, and threats of investigations and prosecution we re-affirm that there is no alternative to the struggle to bring down the regime and to realise our goals of bread and freedom, social justice and human dignity. And our weapons in this battle are demonstrations, sit-ins and strikes. Glory to the martyrs, victory to the revolution. Wealth and power to the people. The Revolutionary Socialists 29 December 2011