“The power of the people is greater than the people in power”
“The power of the people is greater/stronger than the people in power” is a protest saying that has been printed on many images. The saying originated in the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt on 2011.
“RT @Jnoubiyeh: The power of the people is stronger than the people in power. #SidiBouzid #Tunisia #Revolution #iranelection #no2sharia” was posted on Twitter by neda angelofiran on January 20, 2011. “‘The power of the people is greater than the people in power.’ Wael Ghonim 2010 #egypt #libya #algeria #tunisia #yemen #zimbabwe” was posted on Twitter by Foxy on February 28, 2011. Wael Ghonim, an Egyptian internet activist and computer engineer, wrote the book Revolution 2.0 The Power of the People is Greater than the People in Power: A Memoir (2012).
Both “The power of the people is stronger than the people in power” and “The power of the people is greater than the people in power” have been used in many protests in many countries.
New Jersey politician Cory Booker has used the quotation frequently, but did not originate it. “The power of the people is always greater than the people in power.. An inspiring @corybooker quote to remember” was posted on Twitter by Chloe Flower on May 30, 2011. “I believe that the power of the people is greater than the people in power” was posted on Twitter by Cory Booker on March 1, 2019.
Wikipedia: Arab Spring
The Arab Spring (Arabic: الربيع العربي) was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across the Middle East in late 2010. It began in response to oppressive regimes and a low standard of living, beginning with protests in Tunisia (Noueihed, 2011; Maleki, 2011). In the news, social media has been heralded as the driving force behind the swift spread of revolution throughout the world, as new protests appear in response to success stories shared from those taking place in other countries (see Howard, 2011).
Wikipedia: Wael Ghonim
Wael Ghonim (Egyptian Arabic: وائل غنيم. born 23 December 1980) is an Internet activist and computer engineer with an interest in social entrepreneurship.
In 2011, he became an international figure and galvanized pro-democracy demonstrations in Egypt after his emotional interview following 11 days of secret incarceration by Egyptian police. During these 11 days, he was interrogated regarding his work as one of two administrators of the Facebook page, “We are all Khaled Said”, which helped spark the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. Time magazine included him in its “Time 100” list of the 100 most influential people of 2011, and the World Economic Forum selected him as one of the Young Global Leaders in 2012.
Twitter
neda angelofiran
@iranangel
RT @Jnoubiyeh: The power of the people is stronger than the people in power. #SidiBouzid #Tunisia #Revolution #iranelection #no2sharia
2:11 AM - 20 Jan 2011
Twitter
Elie Levasseur
@Elie__L
Actv @Jnoubiyeh: The power of the people is stronger than the people in power. #SidiBouzid #Tunisia #Revolution
2:30 AM - 20 Jan 2011
Twitter
Anas Hamra
@AnsRed
The power of the people is stronger than the people in power. #Egypt #Jan25 #Mubarak #Egypt
3:30 PM - 30 Jan 2011
Twitter
Foxy
@follicle22
‘the power of the people is greater than the people in power.’ Wael Ghonim 2010 #egypt #libya #algeria #tunisia #yemen #zimbabwe
4:23 PM - 28 Feb 2011
19 March 2011, Mail Today (Noida, India), “Our confidence in the system is sapped by graft,” pg. ?:
With one of the rallying points in Egypt’s bloodless revolution, Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, listening intently, Purie repeated the telling words of Wael Ghonim, Google’s chief in Egypt credited with kickstarting the movement that brought a million people on to the streets of Cairo.
“The power of the people is greater than the people in power,” Ghonim had said recently.
Twitter
Chloe Flower
@ChloeFlower
The power of the people is always greater than the people in power.. An inspiring @corybooker quote to remember
5:56 PM - 30 May 2011
OCLC WorldCat record
Revolution 2.0 : the power of the people is greater than the people in power : a memoir
Author: Wael Ghonim
Publisher: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ©2012.
Edition/Format: Print book : Biography : English
Summary:
The author who was a key figure behind the Egyptian uprising in January 2011 which resulted in the ousting of President Mubarak tells the inside story and presents lessons on how to unleash the power of crowds to create political change. The power of the people is stronger than the people in power. Social media allow ideas to be shared. They are places where people can unite, Revolutions can begin, a new type of Revolution. The author used to be a man unwilling to publicly criticise the Egyptian regime. Like many, he was silenced by the fear of reprisals. But in January 2011 he decided he had seen too much oppression go unchallenged and started a Facebook page calling for the people to protest. It became a rallying-point for revolution and Egyptians took to the streets, while he was held by security forces for a horrifying 11 days. In an attempt to quell the revolution the government moved to shut down the internet, fearful of its ability to mobilise the people. It was too late; the people were no longer afraid of making themselves heard. This book is an insider’s story from the heart of the Egyptian Spring, and gives insight into why the Egyptian people finally rejected 30 years of oppression and found a voice.
Twitter
Cory Booker
@CoryBooker
Thanks! RT @BrotherJesse: “The power of the people is greater than the people in power”~ @CoryBooker on CBS (Great interview mayor)
9:53 AM - 18 Jan 2012
Twitter
Cory Booker
@CoryBooker
Replying to @CocoPazzo
The power of the people is always greater than the people in power AND politics is too important to be left only to politicians @CocoPazzo
9:33 PM - 22 May 2013
Philadelphia (PA) Tribune
Booker upbeat while touting local ties in Nevada stop
Michelle L. Price Feb 25, 2019
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Democratic Sen. Cory Booker highlighted his family’s ties to Las Vegas while delivering a Sunday sermon casting his presidential campaign as a movement to bridge American divides through social justice.
(...)
Throughout his hourlong talk, Booker wove in anecdotes about his upbringing and used buzzy slogans like “leadership is not a title” and “the power of the people is greater than the people in power.”
Twitter
Cory Booker
@CoryBooker
I believe that the power of the people is greater than the people in power.
7:42 PM - 1 Mar 2019
Twitter
Tara Aday
@taraaday
The power of the people is stronger than the people in power. #DumpTrump
7:04 PM - 28 Mar 2019 from Grand Rapids, MI