Tag: protests

I received news about the Doweiqa disaster, via SMS, when I was in Tanta. I haven’t gone there yet, but the pictures we are seeing are horrific, with 31 up till now confirmed dead, and hundreds still trapped.

Yet the pictures are also familiar. Corruption, corruption, corruption, corruption. We cannot blame mother nature or luck in these situations, and neither the families of the victims are. The residents slammed the authorities and Mubarak himself in interviews to the press, blaming the government and its local representatives: the Cairo Governor, and the local council officials. The latter were chased away from the neighborhood, by angry residents, when they dared to visit the scene.

Police was also stoned amid accusations of incompetency. The army had to be called in with its equipment to help with the rescue efforts, while police troops have put the area under siege, banning journalists from entering.

I received unconfirmed news, also via SMS, around 20 mins ago about another collapse in Doweiqa. I hope it’s wrong.

The Egyptian Center for Housing Rights has called for a candlelight vigil, in solidarity with the victims and to protest the state’s housing policy, tomorrow Monday 9pm in Talaat Harb Square.