Egyptian anarchists speak

Dear friends,

The next period will again see a familiar foe that many of you have and continue to fight. International Financial Institutions (IFIs) such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), have long been assisting in the looting of the Egyptian economy and the displacement of the Egyptian people. Our goal is to resist these institutions and their depredations. Because we know that this struggle is universal, send this letter to all those working in solidarity against the bankers and their friends. After the revolution, these organizations targeted Egypt,hoping to consolidate and extend their control. Citing “economic instability”, they want to impose their programme in Egypt – an affordable solution that will increase, once again, the gap between rich and poor and will endanger the livelihood of millions of people. What we call “instability” is nothing other than the revolt of the base that opposes the status quo of political and economic hegemony of the Egyptian state. The new leadership of Egypt maintains a neoliberal logic of governance. The Muslim Brotherhood, the generals, bureaucrats and bankers have the same intentions in mind: continuing exploitation, theft and commercialization of natural and human resources of the country. While some of the key leaders of the Brotherhood already promoted neoliberal policies years ago, shortly after taking power, the organization has now officially changed its religious positions against the IMF loan, citing economic “necessity”. In practice, this means priority requirements of banks and financial institutions and not on policies that enhance social justice for the Egyptians. Moreover, while the IMF states that the loan has conditions, a “package of economic reforms” carried out by the lackeys of the Egyptian economic system must be approved by the Fund prior to the loan disbursed. Indeed, without conditions … IMF may be the most obvious creditor with expansionist tendencies, but it is not only the creation and maintenance of unequal economic, cultural and territorial relationship, based on domination and subordination.

Just as dangerous are institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Bank and European Investment aiming to commercialize, privatize and plunder everything from transport and electricity to the Nile. Many of these banks have supported for years our dictators, applauding their efforts to subjugate us, the earth and our water, to private capital. Egypt is no exception. The revolution in South Africa against apartheid was considered a threat to economic stability – the new leadership that emerged boasted revolutionary credentials that enabled the implementation of the neoliberal project, which exceeded the colonialists predecessors.

Following his election victory, with promises of progressive programs, Lula, President of Brazil, presented growing neoliberal policies “rinsed” with charity projects for an increasingly impoverished underclass. The same happened in India when economic policies, to help the country decided to enter global markets, led thousands of farmers into debt and losing their livelihoods, with increasing stratification between rich and poor. And the examples continue. Across the world, these International Financial Institutions and the governments that support them, exploit the uncertainty of the “post-revolutionary” era by imposing austerity measures and tightening their grip on the those that rise up against these control systems.

Egypt is no exception. Their solution is our problem, “economic stability” is misery and exploitation for us . If we are all together we can strengthen our position towards them. We recognize the origin of this fight against international financial institutions and the IMF: A worldwide network of inspired people and activists, of which we are part. Today, we in Egypt are under attack and imminent threat, and we have decided to fight. For those who have similarly become the target of the IMF and the International Financial Institutions and fight against these predators, let’s find ways to combine and unite our forces against them loans at local and global levels.

No boss, no creditors!

Sincerely, The Comrades from Cairo