General Strike in support of Egyptian Democracy
Posted by webofhistory on February 5, 2011
Show solidarity with Pro-Democracy Egyptians protesting throughout Egypt.
General Strike. Hatal.
Go viral. Go Global.
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants. It is also characterized by participation of workers in a multitude of workplaces, and tends to involve entire communities. The general strike has waxed and waned in popularity since the mid-19th century, and has characterized many historically important strikes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_strike
Hartal (also hartaal) (Bengali: হরতাল; Hindi: हड़ताल; Urdu: ہڑتال) is a term in many Indian languages for strike action, used often during theIndian Independence Movement. It is mass protest often involving a total shutdown of workplaces, offices, shops, courts of law as a form ofcivil disobedience. In addition to being a general strike, it involves the voluntary closing of schools and places of business. It is a mode of appealing to the sympathies of a government to change an unpopular or unacceptable decision.[1]
Hartal was originally a Gujarati expression signifying the closing down of shops and warehouses with the object of realising a demand. MK Gandhi (sometimes referred to by his supporters as Father of the Nation), who hailed from Gujarat, organised a series of anti-British general strikes which he called hartals, thereby institutionalizing it. This form of public protest dates back to days of British colonial rule in India. Repressive actions infringing on human rights by the colonial British Government and princely states against countrywide peaceful movementfor ending British rule in India often triggered such localised public protest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartal
