Latest news with #Hirak
Middle East Eye
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Algeria bans Gaza march amid fears of political unrest
Algeria has refused a request from several political parties to organise a large-scale popular march in Algiers in support of Palestinians in Gaza. The ban, formalised by a document signed by the Interior Ministry's secretary general, Mahmoud Djamaa, and circulating online, was transmitted to a group of political parties including the Rally for Hope for Algeria, the Workers' Party and the Movement of Society for Peace. Scheduled for 7 or 8 August under the slogan "Algeria with Palestine... against starvation and displacement", the march was intended to demonstrate the Algerian people's broad support for the Palestinian cause. However, the ministry urged organisers to limit themselves to "solidarity gatherings" in enclosed spaces, citing a law regulating public meetings and marches. "The Algerian authorities refuse to authorise any street demonstrations for fear of seeing the return of the Hirak," Algerian journalist Ali Boukhlef told Middle East Eye, referring to the 2019 massive pro-democracy movement that led to the ouster of longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters After this brief democratic chapter, the political arena was once again locked down and freedom of expression restricted under the rule of current President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. "The Algerian authorities are afraid that opposition parties or unorganised opponents will take advantage of these demonstrations in support of Palestine to turn them into demonstrations against the current regime," Boukhlef told Middle East Eye. "The Algerian authorities justify this ban by saying that the Algerian government's diplomatic efforts are sufficient. There is therefore no point in demonstrating." Risk of backfire Despite the Algerian leadership's consistent expression of official support for the Palestinian cause, including diplomatic efforts at the United Nations and other international arenas, pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been virtually inexistent in the country since the start of Israel's war on Gaza and are heavily supervised. After the Covid crisis and the authorities' crackdown on the second anniversary of the Hirak in 2021, pro-democracy marches stopped. The first authorised demonstration since then was dedicated to supporting Gaza shortly after the start of the war. Held on 19 October 2023, it brought together several thousand people in Algiers and across the country. Fuelling the 'machinery of genocide': Morocco's backdoor support for Israel's war on Gaza Read More » A second authorised demonstration for Gaza took place only last April, gathering around 1,000 people in front of the headquarters of the Movement of Society for Peace, in the capital. For Boukhlef, however, the Algerian authorities' strategy risks backfiring by fuelling popular frustration. "The reality is that anger is simmering, and the flame of the 2019 Hirak protests has not yet been extinguished," he told MEE. In Morocco, which has seen large pro-Palestinian demonstrations despite its growing ties with Israel and the detention of several pro-Palestine activists, some media outlets and social media commentators seized the opportunity to castigate the Algerian authorities. Diplomatic relations between the North African neighbours were broken off by Algeria four years ago, due, among other reasons, to the kingdom's normalisation deal with Israel. "By refusing a march dedicated to the Palestinian cause, the Algerian authorities are revealing a latent fear: that of seeing a solidarity demonstration turn into a platform for domestic protest," wrote one Moroccan media outlet. "Behind the fiery rhetoric of support for just causes lies a strategy of locking down the political arena, where any popular mobilisation is perceived as a potential threat to the regime. This choice of preemptive stifling speaks volumes about the priorities of the current system: preserving its authority, even if it means sacrificing the principles it proudly holds on the international stage."
Le Matin d'Algérie
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Le Matin d'Algérie
« Fly Emirates ! », ma d annay amaziɣ ad iqqim iffer, ar d-yas wass-is… !
- Advertisement - Nniɣ-as i yiwen umastan n teɣdemt n Lezzayer tamanaɣt : – Anwa asaḍuf n « code pénal » ideg yettwagdel wannay amaziɣ ? Inna-yi-d : – Ulac asaḍuf yuran ! – Amek ihi ttwaṭṭfen ɣef lḥebs wid/tid akk irefden annay amaziɣ di tmurt n Lezzayer, di tnekra n Hirak, akked imukan nniḍen ? – Sbabben-asen tardayt n « atteinte à l'unité nationale ». – Akka i tella ? – Ih, akka… Tanekra n lḥirak n furar 2019, i d-ibdan di temdint n Xerraṭa, akken tessaɣ i tmurt n Lezzayer di yal tamnaṭ, i teldi tabburt i unnay amaziɣ, ittrefrif di yal tikli, nnig yal tazeqqa akked iberdan. Tanekra tamagdayt n uɣref azzayri tufa azamul iwatan, idis n wannay n tmurt n « waggur d yitri'', akken ad tbeddel targit ɣer tilawt, ad d-tlal Lezzayer tazzayrit. Annay amaziɣ iban-d d azamul n tdukli, n tegmat ur nekkis yiwen, ur naâzil yiwen uzzayri neɣ tazzayrit, akken tebɣu tili tutlayt-is neɣ ddin-is ; diɣ, d azamul isduklen akk imezdaɣ n umaḍal amaziɣ n Tefrikt n Ugafa, di tmura n Merruk, Tunes Libya, agafa n Mali (Azawaḍ), akked Niger, zger akkin ɣer Tegzirin Tiknariyin. Ur illi uẓar n beṭṭu neɣ usmenyif/errya deg uzamul n unnay amaziɣ, ur illi deg-s « relent identitaire » illan ass-a di tmura n Urupa neɣ USA mgal iberraniyen, neɣ ayen illan di Taferka taberkant mgal aḥric n wat tmurt, am twaɣit n imenɣi Hutus-Tutsi di Rwanda, ur nefri. Icenga n tdukli n Tefrikt n Ugafa. Tamuɣli-nni n tdukli n Tefrikt n Ugafa, tin i yezwaren si tdukli n uɣref azzayri deg ubrid n tlalit n tmurt tamagdayt, ur illi di tiṭ n wid ur nessarem ad teddukel tmurt tameqqrant, si Libya ar Merruk. Imelyan-nni n Izzayriyen iteddun di yal tikli n talwit, di Lezzayer, Bgayet, Tizi Wezzu, Wehran, Qsenṭina, Paris, Londres, Montréal… s wannay amaziɣ akked wannay n Lezzayer dduklen, ur illi deg wul n wid d-isseqdacen tiḥila akken ad rren tamurt d ayla-nsen, d amur n waɣlan n « taârabt-tinneslemt » (une partie de la nation arabo-islamique ). Tiḥila-nni mačči yiwen nsent : Tafrikt n Ugafa ur telli, isem-is « El Maghreb el arabi », tin i yasen-d-issas ssif n iserdasen aâraben di lqern wis 7, di ṭṭrad n lfutuḥat, Tamurt tineslemt, ad tili ''bessif'' d tamurt taârabt, tebɣa neɣ ur tebɣi, zun ulac tinneslemt, tella kan ''taârabt-tinneslemt'', Tamurt deg tella tutlayt taârabt, d tamurt taârabt, ifka anza ɣer tsertit pangermanique (2), Tamurt n ''Camal Ifriqia » ur telli d tamurt n yidles, ur illi uɣref amaziɣ, ur telli tutlayt tamaziɣt, ur telli tira n tmaziɣt… d war aɣref, war idles. Imaziɣen llan, maca tinneslemt terra-ten d Aâraben, i yenna Ahmed Taleb Ibrahimi… … Anwi i d icenga n Tefrikt n Ugafa, icenga n uɣref amaziɣ ? Icenga n Tefrikt n Ugafa tamaziɣt mačči yiwen wudem-nsen si tazwara n umezruy. Maca d ayen illan kan, si tmuɣli-nneɣ, si tlalit n Liga aârabiya (Ligue des Etats arabes) (1) akked tlalit n tdamsa tameqqrant n pétrole (pétro-dollars). D abeddel n usalu n Liga aârabiya, tin d-ilulen akken ad tesdukel timura taârabin, i yessawḍen ɣer tsertit n temharsa taârabt (colonisation par l'arabisme). Di tazwara, tinneslemt ur telli d tagejdit, maca tbeddel abrid ɣer ''taârabt-tinneslemt'', si mi teɣli tezmert n ''nationalisme arabe'' n Gamal Abdel Naser. Akka tura, d tigelda n pétro-dollars n Qatar, Emirates, Saudya, i yuɣen amkan agejdan di tsertit timnekcemt n taârabt-tinneslemt. Sin iɣallen i semrasen/sexdamen di tsertit-nsen akken llan, ɣas ma yella umgared gar-asen, tiyita-nsen teddukel, tekkat ɣer yiwet tama : d tasertit n Ixuniyen inselmen akked Iwehhabiyen-Isalafiyen, akked tedrimt n pétro-dollars, akken ad aɣen imdanen/iɣallen di tmura i tekcem twekka-nsen. I di Lezzayer amek ? Di tnemmast n tikliwin n Lḥirak i yerzef jiniral Ahmed Gaïd Salah ɣer tmurt n Emirates. Mi d-yuɣal kan, ifka lamer i temsulta n Lezzayer akken ad ittwakkes unnay amaziɣ di tikliwin, di yal amkan. Win i ṭṭfen ad tt-id-yawi deg unekraf/ lḥebs ! Ansi d-ikka lamer-nni n ugdal/interdiction n unnay amaziɣ, ma mačči si tmurt n Emirates ? Ass-a, di tmurt n Lezzayer si 2019, annay amaziɣ ittwagdel, maca ur illi kra n usaḍuf i t-igedlen : « d asaḍuf ur nuri » (une loi non écrite dans le code pénal). Di tmura nniḍen, ɣɣaren-s « le fait du prince ». Ma d adabu azzayri i yellan ass-a di Lezzayer, ad izwir, ad ikkes asaḍuf ur nelli, ad isbedd annay amaziɣ nnig Ugraw Aɣelnaw n APN ! Maca, d ayen illan ass-a di tmurt deg ttwaqqnen yemdanen ɣef tlelli-nsen d tikta-nsen, i yefkan tabɣest/lkuraj i yemdanen am Belghit, Mokri, Djabellah, Bengrina… akken ad ddun d ixuniyen n tsertit i d-ikan si tmura nniḍen, mgal tamurt-nsent nutni. Di tkerkas-nsen, sduklen aserǧen n umezruy akked txunit n « nekkni yakk d inselmen »… D tasertit iteddun ad teldi tabburt i temharsa n « grand remplacement », ma fkan afus Izzayriyen akken llan ! Aumer U Lamara Timerna / Notes : 1. Ligue des Etats arabes, créée en mars 1945, par les Etats fondateurs : Jordanie, Liban, Syrie, Arabie Saoudite, Egypte, Irak, Yémen. 2. Tasertit pangermanique : « Aɣlan almani yella di yal tamurt anida tella tutlayt talmanit » (« la nation allemande se trouve partout où se parle l'Allemand »). D tasertit-nni i yesnekren ṭṭrad ameqqran n umaḍal wis sin / 2eme guerre mondiale. D tasertit-nni i yesseqdac ass-a Vladymir Poutine s tutlayt tarusit, di Ukrainia, Moldavia, Georgia… (Anida tella tutlayt tarusit, d tamurt n Russia !).
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
The Durgapur Press Club: A beacon of hope and custodian of culture in trying times
Hirak is an English Teacher, Published Author and Social Activist from Durgapur, West Bengal. Over the years he has had several of his articles published in various platforms, both electronic and printed. Growing up in a tier two city that was once a small town revolving around a steel mill, has given him a unique perspective on socio-economic patterns and human behaviour. He has been a keen observer of the many changes that the political tapestry of India has been through. The small cities and towns of India hardly hog the limelight when it comes to mainstream social commentaries. In his many travels through small towns, tier two cities and villages in his home State, Hirak has picked up stories of the people that are unique and interesting at once. His articles tend to portray these stories about the life and times of the forgotten people. Hirak believes that the middle class is essentially an estuary, a buffer layer of confluence between the upper-class gentry and the ever dominated hapless lower class. He intends to highlight the trials and tribulations of the middle class through his write-ups. LESS ... MORE Democracy is not known to move very fast, often lumbering on at a snail's pace. But it moves ahead, nonetheless, thanks in part to the Fourth Pillar or Fourth Estate—the Press. My burgeoning city, Durgapur, has been at the epicentre of change for the past many decades now. It has seen the coming and going of political regimes. It has been in the thick of high-pitched collisions between rival factions. And it has witnessed abrupt and often uncomfortable modernisation. What has remained resolute and steadfast in the face of every adversity, though, is the Durgapur Press Club. Alo is the Durgapur Press Club's unique initiative—an annual magazine that strives to tell the tale of the people of the Ruhr of Bengal and its underlying culture, shaped by centuries of mining, industrialization, and ethnic mingling. For years, it has served as an important platform for the artists, social workers, and journalists of the region, showcasing literary works and achievements that would have otherwise gone unnoticed in a very Kolkata-centric clatter. 2025 was earmarked for a more pronounced celebration of Alo. On the 23rd and May 24, Durgapur celebrated Alo Utsav 2025—a grand festival to commemorate, among other things, the contributions of the preeminent journalists and citizens of this region, and one hundred years of Raktakarabi, Tagore's timeless play, which continues to remain relevant in the current times. In a formal discussion at the newly inaugurated Press Club building ahead of the Alo Utsav, the senior journalists of Durgapur told me how the Durgapur Press Club has been more than a beacon of hope for the oft-ignored warriors of this region. 'When we read the news every morning, do we spare a thought for the people who braved so many odds to bring the important stories to us before our first cup of morning tea?' asked Sri Kanchan Siddiqui, a luminary journalist who has been at the forefront of all media-related efforts in the region. Under the auspices of senior pressmen like him, the Durgapur Press Club has grown into an overarching banyan tree shielding journalists from untoward incidents. Initiatives such as health insurance, safeguards against income loss, and—more than anything else—bringing together the entire press fraternity into one giant family have been transformative. Durgapur Press Club TV has been a major success with more and more people tuning into it every day for unadulterated news. Talking about the new Press Club building, celebrated journalist Sri Bikash Sen acknowledged the empathy and willingness shown by the Government of West Bengal and the Asansol Durgapur Development Authority in understanding the need for a proper building to house the association. 'It cost the government more than 2 crores to allocate land and raise the building. We are thankful to the administration and our Hon CM, Smt Mamata Banerjee, for going the extra mile to accommodate us,' said Sri Sen. In the coming times, the Durgapur Press Club plans to stir up a wave of counter-cultural movement aimed at preserving the socio-linguistic flavours of Rahr Bangla—the portion of the Chota Nagpur plateau encompassing Bengal's west and south districts. The aim is to uphold the region's cultural diversity in the face of rapid urbanisation—a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut that has been steamrolling all over the region, destroying rustic nuances in its path. This process has been going on since coal was first discovered in 1774 near Raniganj by John Sumner and Suetonius Grant Heatly of the East India Company. As colonial settlers and fortune seekers began settling in the area, the first people to be affected were the Santhals. With time, the marauding effects of abrupt industrialisation were tempered to a certain degree. A new localised culture was born out of the mingling of Bengalis, the many local tribes, and white European settlers. Among other places, Chelidanga of Asansol stands testament to that mingling, nestling a vibrant Anglo-Indian community. The post-Independence era saw the setting up of the Durgapur Steel Plant, and with it came a wave of settlers from the neighbouring state of Bihar, seeking work in a still-nascent industrial leviathan, away from the murderous coalfields. What exists now is a beautiful mélange born out of the continued mingling of Bengali and Hindi speakers. But that culture is under attack from a very metro-centric urbanisation now, and the Durgapur Press Club intends to shield the region from it. 'We want our Gen Z and the coming generations to be aware of the rich history of our treasured corner of Bengal. It's a microcosm, no less. And the youth need to understand that the socio-linguistic heritage of the Ruhr of Bengal is worth preserving,' remarked Sri Siddiqui. Democracy and culture thrive when the fourth pillar is strong and well-founded. And nothing can exemplify this fact more than the Durgapur Press Club and the people behind it. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Morocco World
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Jailed Activist Nasser Zefzafi Allowed to Visit Sick Father in Al Hoceima
Rabat – The Moroccan prison authority has allowed detained activist Nasser Zefzafi to temporarily leave Tangier 2 prison to visit his sick father, Ahmed Zefzafi, in a private clinic in Al Hoceima. Nasser's brother, Tarek Zefzafi, shared the news in a Facebook post on Friday, noting that the visit came after a request made by Nasser earlier that day. The Zefzafi family welcomed the decision and described it as a gesture of compassion and humanity. According to Tarek, the visit brought comfort to both Nasser and his ailing father. 'The family appreciated and welcomed this step, which brought joy to our father and gave him a much-needed psychological boost to face his illness,' he wrote. Nasser Zefzafi is one of the most prominent figures of the Hirak Rif movement, a wave of protests that swept the Al Hoceima region in northern Morocco following the death of local fish vendor Mohcine Fikri in October 2016. Fikri died after he was crushed in a garbage truck while trying to retrieve his confiscated fish. His death sparked public outrage and triggered large-scale protests demanding justice, jobs, better healthcare, and improved infrastructure in the Rif region. Zefzafi was arrested in May 2017 after interrupting a Friday sermon at a mosque in Al Hoceima and accusing the imam of delivering a politically charged message against the protest movement. Authorities later accused him of undermining state security and organizing unauthorized protests. In June 2018, a court in Casablanca sentenced Zefzafi and three other Hirak activists to 20 years in prison. The court handed down sentences ranging from 1 to 20 years to 54 activists in total, in a trial that sparked widespread criticism from local and international human rights organizations. Despite the passage of time, human rights groups and supporters continue to call for the release of Hirak detainees. Tags: Hirak RifNasser Zefzafi
Arab News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Amnesty denounces Algeria over ‘alarming' crackdown
TUNIS: Amnesty International on Thursday denounced what it called a 'crackdown on peaceful dissent' in Algeria in response to an online protest campaign.'Algerian authorities have intensified their relentless clampdown on peaceful dissent through arbitrary arrests and unjust prosecutions leading to lengthy prison sentences,' the rights group said in a said the authorities have arrested and sentenced at least 23 activists and journalists over their purported support for an online protest movement dubbed Manich Radi (which loosely translates as 'I do not agree').The campaign, Amnesty said, was launched in December 2024 'to denounce restrictions on human rights and difficult socioeconomic conditions in the country.'Amnesty said the 23 were detained 'solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights.'Its regional director for the Middle East and North Africa Heba Morayef said: 'The trajectory of suffocating online activism pursued by the Algerian authorities is alarming and must be reversed.'Nothing can justify detaining and jailing people solely for having expressed dissatisfaction about political and socioeconomic conditions,' she crackdown coincided with the lead-up to the sixth anniversary in February of the pro-democracy Hirak singled out accelerated judicial procedures, which it said did not give several detainees time for adequate several cases, it cited the March sentencing of activists Soheib Debbaghi and Mahdi Bazizi to 18-month jail terms for their ties to the 'Manich Radi' was convicted of 'publishing content harmful to national interest,' Amnesty urged the authorities in Algeria to 'end their crackdown on peaceful dissent and stop punishing the legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression.'
