-
Tunisia
he self-immolation of 26-year-old produce vendor Mohammed Bouazizi in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, sparks a wave of protests against police violence and the decades-long autocratic rule of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Four weeks later, Ben Ali is forced out of power and flees.the country. -
Egypt
Using person-to-person contact, social networking and citizen-made media, people of Cairo organized a mass protest on Police Day, demanding the end to harassment, repression and torture. What follows is an 18-day national uprising against President Hosni Mubarak's dictatorial government. It is symbolized by the occupation of Tahrir Square, but has its roots in years of labor, media and human rights organizing. On February 11, the Mubarak regime falls. -
Wisconsin & Ohio
Wisconsinites protesting Gov. ScottWalker’s austerity budget and his attack on collective bargaining carry Egyptian flags and signs, drawing a parallel between their struggles. In the weeks-long protest, hundreds of thousands of people occupy the state capitol; hundreds of students arearrested. In Columbus, Ohio, nearly 4,000 protest against similar attacks on the public sector and workers’ rights. -
London
500,000 protestors take to London’s streets in the March for the Alternative, coordinated by the Trades Union Congress. Teachers and public sector workers hold massive strikes.
