Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)

Many are calling the events in Egypt a second revolution. I offer my full support to ordinary young people and workers in Egypt who are attempting to conclude the process started earlier this year with the overthrow of President Mubarak, an ally of successive US Administrations. The repression he imposed and the global economic crisis kicked off the revolutionary process earlier this year and raised the hopes of many ordinary people for fundamental change. The road to genuine freedom and democracy was not being blocked by just one man and his cronies but by an entire military cast and capitalist interests. The military's failure to hand over power and its unleashing of repressive measures in excess of President Mubarak's have caused outrage across the globe. In recent days thousands of activists have fought running battles with state forces over the control of Tahrir Square, 33 people have been killed and almost 2,000 seriously injured. The military has extended the 30-year state of emergency, with arbitrary detention being the norm and some 12,000 civilian critics facing military tribunals.

While we have seen the beginnings of a crack in the regime, clearly the situation is serious. The efforts of ordinary people to secure a decent future must progress. I, therefore, support the call for the holding of urgent genuine elections, which would constitute the first step of a process to improve democratic rights and ensure a better future for the ordinary people of the region.

See this speech in context