Internet Access: Formidable tool to curb and control mass mobilizations!
Date: Sunday, January 30 @ 18:40:04 UTC
Topic: Africa Focus
By Franz J. T. Lee
January 30, 2011
As we warned in our last article, (1) recent events in Northern Africa
and the Middle East and as reported by the World Socialist Website
today, (2) have proven how the ruling elites don´t hesitate a second to
cut off the access to Internet and also cellphone communications as a
means to curb and control mass mobilizations that threaten their
stability, while at the same time guaranteeing continuous flow of
information with regard to "business as usual", that is, financial
transactions at the stock exchanges.
The World Socialist Website writes:
"The Egyptian government shut down
most internet traffic in the country thirty minutes past midnight
Thursday morning, in an effort to block communication prior to mass
demonstrations on Friday. ... The move constitutes an unprecedented
restriction of internet communications. Other countries have blocked
connections to specific websites, or attempted to slow down traffic,
but have never succeeded in cutting off all internet access to the
population."
As soon as the oppressed working people start making use of the Internet - as they should - for political or even emancipatory
purposes, the ruling classes respond ever so "democratically" with the
suspension of free access to free information and the corresponding
possibility to freely organize, gather and take action against
oppression.
It is crucial to understand, that international solidarity is the
conditio sine qua non for the current popular mobilizations in North
Africa and the Middle East to succeed in their endeavors, and it is
also crucial to think of establishing alternative communication
channels at all costs.
The global ruling classes' fear of popular organization against them is
such, that we see giants like China panic and establish Internet
censorship about the news coming from Egypt. Due to the nature of the
capitalist system's collapse on a global scale, expect mass protests,
mobilization and organization from Africa to Asia and back again to
South America and the Caribbean. Expect a corresponding Internet
censorship, too! And finally, perpetual social unrest will "hit home",
that is, the corporate heart of North America and Europe.
(1) Venezuela: In defense of the Internet while it still lasts.
http://franzjtlee.blogspot.com/2011/01/venezuela-in-defense-of-internet-while.html
(2) http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/jan2011/intr-j29.shtml and also: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/jan2011/egyp-j29.shtml
franz@franzlee.org.ve
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