San Francisco: Women are Marching in Solidarity with the People of Egypt

Why Women March

Women march in the US because women in Egypt need their solidarity to support the aspirations of all Egyptians. Today in San Francisco women expressed their anger against the Western governments which backed Mubarak. In the San Francisco Bay Area anti-colonialist and anti-war activists from CodePink, the Raging Grannies, Women in Black, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and a group relatively new to the scene called Grandmothers Against War urged people everywhere to respond to the call of their sisters in the Middle East.

Today they marched in front of parliament buildings and centers of power including City Hall and the new Federal Building at 7th and Mission.

While many Egyptian people continue to storm the streets for freedom and dignity, they also demand a new education of their children, in a democratic environment. Women say they are keenly aware of the need for a better life for the generations of children they bear and work hard to raise.

In Cairo women are in the streets and have played a major role in the grassroots movement for democracy in Egypt. Meanwhile, American women are calling on the President, State Department, and Congress to stop funding the Mubarak regime, which currently receives over $1.8 billion dollars in military assistance annually from the US.

The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom issued this statement about Egypt's future: "The participation of women is crucial. Women are playing a fundamental part in the revolution, and must be included in the reconstruction, in government and public office".