April 6 youth call for general strike.

26 Mar, 2009

Egyptians are being urged to strike on 6 April in protest against corruption, political repression and the rising cost of living in the country. The protest is being organised by the April 6 Youth Movement, which formed in early 2008 in support of workers striking on 6 April in the Nile Delta town of Mahalla el-Kobra, about 120 km north of Cairo. That protest was accompanied by demonstrations in various parts of the country, during which at least one person was killed and dozens more were injured in clashes with police. The youth movement relies heavily on social networking websites and weblogs to put out its messages and garner support. As of 27 March its group on Facebook had 72,690 members.