11 February, a date that tells Egyptians they are stronger,” says the Egyptian National Action Group in a statement
The Egyptian National Action Group (ENAG), including opposition figures from a broad Egyptian political spectrum both at home and abroad, said that the February 11, 2011, the date when the January revolution succeeded in overthrowing former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, is a date that reminds Egyptians that they are stronger, and “remind us of the greatness and latent potentials of the Egyptian people and tells us that Egyptians can always achieve change despite domination of authoritarian regimes.”
ENAG added, in a statement it issued on Tuesday that: “On February 11, 2011, the Egyptian people succeeded to compel Hosni Mubarak to step down. Whatever the paths taken by the “deep state” and the military institution to circumvent the Egyptian revolution, and the mistakes that we all made due to lack of experience, but the Egyptian people proved at that time that they had got the initiative, sacrifice, steadfastness, and real will to achieve change for a better future to all Egyptians.”
“The Egyptian National Action Group (ENAG) realizes that despite the brutality of the current unpatriotic and inhumane regime in Egypt, we all remember that the change that was achieved on 11 February, 2011 had not been envisaged a few days before that date, and that the accumulation of the failure of the Mubarak regime and its tyranny had led the Egyptian people to express its will at the time that it chose,” ENAG statement read, adding, “We are certain that the Egyptian people is capable of expressing its will once again, but this time with avoiding making the past mistakes – after we have all learned the lesson from our experience over the past years. The Egyptian people will impose on dictators that Egypt shall be for all Egyptians, and that it will remain strong, breathe freedom, preserve its national security, and prevent any waiver of its water, wealth or land.”
The ENAG statement concluded, saying, “May God have mercy on all the martyrs of our revolution, the martyrs of the nation; and we extend our greetings to every Egyptian detainee, regardless of his/her intellectual and political orientation and affiliation, as the despotic regime has targeted us all; and in the near future we will all unite together to remove this injustice and build our new, stronger and fairer Egypt for all Egyptians.”
On 11 February 2011, after 18 days of mass protest, Egypt’s vice-president at the time, Omar Suleiman, announce that former President Hosni Mubarak decided to step down.
“In the name of Allah, the most gracious the most merciful,” Suleiman read. “My fellow citizens, in the difficult circumstances our country is experiencing, President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak has decided to give up the office of the president of the republic and instructed the supreme council of the armed forces to manage the affairs of the country. May God guide our steps.”
Moments later a deafening roar swept central Cairo. Protesters fell to their knees and prayed, wept and chanted. Hundreds of thousands of people packed into Tahrir Square, the center of the demonstrations, waving flags, holding up hastily written signs declaring victory, and embracing soldiers.
“We have brought down the regime, we have brought down the regime,” chanted the crowd.
Anyway, the anniversary of 11 February (2011) comes every year to remind Egyptians of their greatness and latent potentials and tells them that the Egyptian people can always achieve change despite domination of authoritarian regimes.
