Protests break out against Egypt's Sisi in Cairo

[DJKeefy]

Egyptian activists held protests against the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in one of the first waves of demonstrations since the former army general tightened his grip on the country.

Videos posted on social media on Friday showed demonstrators gathering in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the site of the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Al Jazeera reported that protesters also gathered in Alexandria and Gharbiya, calling for an end to Sisi's rule.

"The people want to topple the regime," shouted demonstrators in Tahrir Square, according to a video posted on Twitter, echoing the chants of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa.



A Middle East Eye correspondent in Cairo said as many as 200 protesters heading towards Tahrir Square were "violently dispersed" late on Friday.

"No deaths, but I saw around 20-25 people arrested and held in police trucks. Some were released later. Currently downtown is full of riot police and plain-clothed policemen," the correspondent, who remains anonymous because of the restrictions on journalists in the country, said.

Moreover, most shops downtown that normally stay open late on Friday have closed.

Protesters have taken to the side streets gathering in small groups chanting "leave" and "down down with Sisi Mubarak".

The protests had started in the virtual space, as anti-Sisi hashtags had been trending for weeks on social media amid growing frustration with the economic conditions and lack of freedoms in the North African country.

Source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/prot ... sisi-cairo

[newcastle]

Initially Govt supporters claimed it was “fake news” on social media.....orchestrated by Al Jazeera and other MB sympathisers.

Now it’s been verified and all over the international media the line is “small” and “scattered”.

It’s certainly unusual. Probably taking advantage of Sisi being in New York.

[carrie]

Can't see any viable opposition to El Sisi.

[newcastle]

Can't see any viable opposition to El Sisi.

The millions of MB sympathisers who voted for Morsi haven’t disappeared and there’s widespread disenchantment amongst the more educated (but less dependent on government largesse) element of the population. Particularly the youth who still see little in the way of improved prospects....despite the “hype” about the state of the economy.

But, as you say, there’s no viable - or indeed visible - organisation to any of these forces of opposition and the ruling government is utterly ruthless in suppressing any signs of revolt. They also control all media outlets and come down hard on any rogue elements of social media which they can identify and trace.

[HEPZIBAH]

I fear any new uprising or 'revolution' will be even bloodier than the last.

[It seems to me that] The divides in the country have got wider since 2011 between the rich and the poorer; the educated and uneducated; the haves and the have nots; lower and upper Egypt.

Most of those in the tourist industry have never recovered from the complete drop in tourist numbers and subsequent change in tourisim and attitudes. The occasional promises of new industries sjch as call centres and light industry to provide new jobs never coming to fruition. Those people put on a brave 'insh'allah' face on but they are angry and I doubt it would take much more to ignite their fury.

Of course, I always hope that things can be sorted out diplomatically and amicably, but I am also a realist.

We live in a very messed up world, where those in positions of leadership seem intent on making matters worse, not better.

[Who2]

All started by that prat in Spain Mo Ali, the Israelis would have 'topped by now, as would CIA, MI6, DGSE.
Where's those Bulgarian umbrellas when you need them ?....
Ps: Builders are always owned monies, I was a builder once...

[Major Thom]

I am surprised its taken so long, especially in the grip of local poverty.

[newcastle]

Following the rare protest that was spotted near Egypt’s iconic Tahrir Square on Friday, a number of reports from rights groups and national media have claimed that Egyptian authorities have arrested several individuals.

Popular TV host Amr Adeeb presented videos of the seven individuals arrested, showing their passports and confessions during an episode of his Talk Show “Al Hekaya”. He also claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood used of a number of them to monitor and support the demonstrations in Egypt.

The group included two Turkish nationals, two Jordanians, a Palestinian, and a Dutch national, who claimed in the video that he was arrested after flying his drone from the rooftop of his hotel near Tahrir square.

https://egyptianstreets.com/2019/09/26/ ... -protests/

They omitted to mention a tramp, two ice cream vendors and a three- legged dog which was held to be acting suspiciously.

By my reckoning they’ve now arrested close on 2,000...... a number comparable to those who actually protested.

You couldn’t make it up......