CAIRO, 31 May 2005 — Egyptian women have launched two separate initiatives, one calling on citizens to wear black clothes and the other a white ribbon, to protest the assault of several women during last week’s referendum.
The assaults, some of which were caught on video, triggered an international outcry.
Yesterday, an informal grouping of women launched a “White Ribbon national apology campaign” following the molestation.
“Protesters, activists and journalists were brutally harassed and sexually molested by NDP thugs with the assistance and blessing of the police forces,” said a statement.
“We will be wearing and distributing a white ribbon as a symbol of our personal apology to those who were harassed and a demand for a public official one from the NDP leadership and the Ministry of Interior,” it said.
The ‘White Ribbon’ movement was initiated by Ghada Shahbandar — a teacher and member of the Kefaya (Enough) movement which staged the May 25 protest — together with two other women, a television presenter and a housewife.
“Since we initiated this campaign, by e-mails and SMS, we have had tremendous feedback and support... It was originally a personal initiative but we are trying to work out a more organized plan to maintain the momentum,” Shahbender told AFP.
She said that 4,000 ribbons had already been produced and that the official launch of the initiative would take place on June 1, when protesters gather in front of the journalists union building in Cairo where the incidents took place a week earlier.
In a parallel initiative, a leading Muslim feminist posted a call Friday on the Internet for all people to wear black on Wednesday to protest “police brutality, beating and sexual harassment”.
