It did not take long for the Egyptian generals who took over from Mubarak, to show what they had in store. Their first public statement was clear enough. It did not condemn the bloodshed and torture under the dictatorship, but it paid tribute to Mubarak's "services"!
And how could it be otherwise? Isn't the new ruling "army council" led by top brass who were in Mubarak's government? Wasn't Mubarak himself one of these generals before rising to the top? Didn't his dictatorship rely over the past 30 years on their loyal support?
The army turns on the protesters
Within 24 hours, the generals were implementing a "return to normality". The military police proceeded to clear Tahrir square and stop protesters who were coming back.
In doing so, the generals are meeting the demand of their Washington paymasters for an "orderly change". They are doing the bidding of the small but greedy Egyptian capitalist class and the shareholders of western companies - all of whom want "order" to return to Egypt and to the region.
In their attempt to restore order, the generals may well get the support of many of yesterday's protesters. In particular, of the better-off middle class, who wanted Mubarak's corrupt lot out, but became terrified for their property after the police disappeared. It may also be the case of young graduates who were just hoping to improve their careers. It is probably from this social milieu that the youth shown on TV, cleaning the streets of Alexandria's affluent areas, in the name of what they call the "revolution", have been recruited.
The generals may even get the support of naive young protesters, who might be fooled by their promise of "freedom" and "democracy", without realising what a mirage this is for the vast majority.
Because, for the tens of millions of Egyptians living in slums, for the one in five of the under-25s who are unemployed, or for the over-exploited workers who must survive on £40/month or less, the generals' constitution will mean no change!
The working class needs its own banner
In fact, the generals were quick to turn against the exploited. The army's 5th public statement made a very explicit threat, this time not just against protesters in general, but against unions and strikers, in the name of working towards "affluence" for all! Except that the working class and the poor know all too well that this "affluence" is not for them.
During the course of the protests, no-one could tell how many protesters came from the slums. Even if there were some slogans against poverty and unemployment and even if, during the last days, public sector workers were on Tahrir square.
However, during the last week, a wave of strikes broke out in several industries, public and private, in various parts of the country. It seemed that, encouraged by the resilience of the protests, workers felt this was the time to come out on strike with their own demands.
As these strikes are not threatening capital for the time being, they may not really worry the generals or the capitalists. But exploitation, unemployment and poverty have been so brutal and naked, and for such a long time in Egypt, that an upsurge of mobilisation and organisation within the working class could turn into a full-scale social explosion which might threaten much more than the short-term profits of capital.
In fact, for those who do not want the generals and Washington to produce yet another dictator, rallying behind the banner of the working class, the banner of social revolution, is the only way forward - and not just for Egypt, but for the whole region.