Canadian Government Called On To Support Egyptian People

By Doug Draper

“Support freedom! Support the Egyptian people,” shouted Susan Howard-Azzeh to a small but spirited gathering of people on the steps of St. Catharines, Ontario’s City Hall this January 31.

Niagara, Ontario residents rally in support of Egyptian people on a bone-chilling night.

About two dozen Niagara area residents braved bone-chilling temperatures to attend the “solidarity rally,” organized the day before by the Niagara Coalition of Peace (a group Howard-Azzeh is a member of) as a prelude to possibly more local demonstratons of support for the people of Egypt in the future.

“The people of Egypt want democracy,” said Karim Ahmed, a speaker at the rally and native of Egypt who moved to St. Catharines, Ontario with members of his family seven years ago.
Literally wrapped in a Canadian flag, Ahmen went on to tell those at the rally that “all (the  Egyptian people) want are the same opportunities for peace and for freedom of speech that we have here in Canada.” During a brief interview with Niagara At Large, he went on to add that “Canada is a truly democratic country and we want the Canadian government to say that it sides with the people of Egypt and does not side with the dictator (Hosni Mubarak). Please Canada. Don’t stay neutral.”

Egyptian native Karim Ahmed calls for Canadian support at rally.

Ahmen still has members of his family in Egypt and, like so many others in the country, they are participating in the demonstrations, according to what Ahmedsaid he learned in a recent call he made to an aunt living there.

“I am worried (about the events unfolding in the country) about them,” said Ahmed. Canada and the United States can and should play a role in preventing a “nationwide massacre of young people who just want to be free,” and in bringing 30 years of dictatorship in Egypt to a peaceful end, he said.

You can check out Facebook at “Niagarans in Support of the Egyptian People”  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198830956797830#!/ for more information.

(Visit Niagara At Large at http://www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to our greater binational Niagara region.)