On this day in 2011 Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down as president of Egypt after many days of protests over poverty, corruption and political repression. It was part of a movement called the Arab Spring which began in Tunisia before spreading to Egypt and other parts of the Arab world.
10 years later the Harvard Gazette looking at the impact of the Arab Spring suggests that in Tunisia a dictator was replaced by a representative democracy, but that fledgling republic is struggling. Other countries, such as Egypt, have only replaced one autocratic ruler with another, while still others, like Saudi Arabia, appear not to have been affected at all. More recently we have seen mass protests in Iran.
Loving God,
we thank you for the movements of people in our world that aim to create a more just and representative society.
We pray for all those who have suffered as a result of their protests with imprisonment, torture and in some cases loss of life.
We ask that you grant people courage and endurance not to give up despite the harsh nature of crackdowns on protesters.
Amen
By Fr Pat O'Shea - Lower Hutt
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