The goal is to let people inside Egypt know that the world supports them – and inspire all of us outside Egypt as well.
Peter RothbergOn this 16th day of the Egyptian revolt, the fiction of the military as an impartial arbiter between anti-Mubarak protesters and loyalists has been blown to bits by a Guardian report demonstrating that the Egyptian military has secretly detained hundreds and possibly thousands of suspected government opponents since mass protests against President Mubarak began, and at least some of these detainees have been tortured.
We know at least some of this because of the brave civilians deploying multimedia tools to bear witness to the protests and repression. Video, of course, is a particularly powerful medium capable of mobilizing and educating enormous numbers of people in a very short period.
A new project, started by one individual trying to make a difference, is pulling together a video and photos of people from around the world expressing support for the people of Egypt and their revolution. But they need our help. Download the Egypt video guidelines and post your footage; spread the word over your social networks and download The World Supports You Egypt sign in English and Arabic. You might also email President Obama imploring him to stop funding the Mubarak dictatorship and to take a stronger stand for democracy.
The goal is to let people inside Egypt know that the world supports them – and inspire all of us outside Egypt as well.
Peter RothbergTwitterPeter Rothberg is the The Nation’s associate publisher.