Tag: pigs

Wedding cancelled

Posted on 04/05/200717/01/2021 By 3arabawy

I received a text message around 5:45pm, saying Jimmi and Diga’s wedding was cancelled due to the heavy security deployment in Talaat Harb. The one in Sharm is of course underway. I arrived in the square few mins after 6pm, to check the scene out for myself anyways.

And indeed all the expected guests showed up: brigades of Central Security Forces, plainclothes thugs, State Security officers and even firefighters!

[Above: Talaat Harb Sq under occupation by Mubarak’s police.]

When I started taking photos, a young State Security officer in plainclothes crossed the road and ordered me to leave and not take photos of the troops. I told him I was gonna leave, but didn’t move and kept chatting with fellow journalists and photographers who showed up. The officer came back to me again, and told me to instruct the BBC crew not to film. I replied saying he should tell them that himself. He replied rudely saying “I am State Security.” I told him: “Pleased to meet you.”
“Ok, so now go and tell them to leave. Aren’t you working with them?”
“No. I’m a freelance journalist.”
“Ok, go and tell them.”
“Why don’t you do it yourself?” (Of course I know why.. because he’s chicken shit when it comes to foreign Westerners, but only like to flex his muscles on locals.)
“You should be more patriotic,” he charged (I wanted to get my violin out then, and start playing the national anthem.)
Anyways, we were about to leave… so I asked the State Security officer: “So no events planned for today?”
“No, there was no event in the first place.”
“Oh, I heard there was a wedding.”
“No, and if there was one, we won’t let it happen.”
“Why not? People wanna express their joy and share the happiness felt in Sharm.”
“Ok, yalla yalla… There’s nothing today”

Victims of slum fire protest in Tahrir Sq

Posted on 03/05/200715/01/2021 By 3arabawy

At least 100 residents from Qale’t el-Kabsh slum, in Sayyeda Zeinab–whose houses were burnt down last March, and who were left with no compensation from the government that unleashed its security forces on the victims using sticks and teargas–demonstrated today in Tahrir Square.

The protesters tried to gather in front of the People’s Assembly, but were chased by the security forces, so they descended on el-Qasr el-Eini St. A Socialist activist who witnessed the protest told me he (and a group of activists) bumped around 3pm into the crowd, largely composed of baladi women, near the American University of Cairo. He said the women were chanting repeatedly: “Ya Hokouma Weskha! Ya Hokouma Me3arassa!” (You dirty government! You government of pimps!) and “El-sahafa fein? El-ta3rees ahoh!” (Where’s the press? Look at the pimps!) while pointing at the dozens of State Security agents who appeared.

Scuffles continued till the protesters were cornered in front of the KFC joint facing Tahrir by the CSF troops and plainclothes SS officers. The police promised the residents the government would find a solution to their problems by Sunday. The protesters were then allowed to leave one by one out of the security cordon, only to reassemble in downtown again, and march over Bab el-Louq, repeating the same chants, joined by a number of Kefaya activists.

Karama Party activist and photographer Peter Alfred was briefly detained for 15 minutes by security agents inside the entrance of one of downtown’s buildings.

The residents are threatening to march over the parliament on Sunday if the government promises turn out to be bogus.

Rights groups blast Egypt for refusal to open probe into Sudanese refugees massacre

Posted on 03/05/200728/12/2020 By 3arabawy

From AP:

Several rights groups on Wednesday blasted Egypt’s decision not to investigate the deaths of more than two dozen Sudanese refugees when police stormed their camp here in 2005.
A United Nations human rights panel last week called on Egypt to reopen an investigation into the Sudanese refugees’ deaths, but Egypt’s Foreign Ministry immediately rebuffed the request.
“The signers express their feelings of anger and rejection of the Foreign Ministry’s statement,” said the groups in a statement sent to The Associated Press.
In a report, the U.N. Committee on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers said an Egyptian inquiry had been closed without clarifying the circumstances leading to the deaths.