Friday, September 20, 2019

Concerning this rare and small Friday protest in Tahrir and elsewhere : Something has happened

A security Source told Egyptian and foreign media on Friday that 55 people were arrested for protesting and assembly illegally in Cairo’s Tahrir square.
This is the last news we got about those small and rare protests in Egypt especially in iconic Tahrir Square on Friday.
From that small protest and rare protest in Cairo's Tahrir square
From that small protest and rare protest in Cairo's Tahrir square "Amr Abdullah/Reuters"
Reuters was the first to use the words “rare” and “small” perfectly but I believe these protests would have a bigger impact in the upcoming days.

Friday evening, small protests made of tens to hundreds in some cities broke across the country.
Their numbers are not many in a country of 100 million but still, it is an act that surprised many Egyptians and may encourage others for going back to the streets if there is no violent crackdown.

From that small protest and rare protest in Cairo's Tahrir square "Amr Abdullah/Reuters"
What is confirmed that protests broke into Cairo’s Tahrir and Shoubra, Giza’s Agouza and Mohendessin as well as Al-Warraq, Alexandria’s Sidi Beshr, Mansoura, Suez, Gharbia’s Mahalla and Marsa Matrouh.
The old chants like “Leave , Leave” aka Degage were back in addition to new chants against Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. There are videos but I am still working on authenticating them.
Those are the places I have been able confirmed directly.
There is no exact number of arrests or injuries.
All those protests were dispersed eventually by police’s security forces.

The protests were called by the current whistleblower and longtime army contractor Mohamed Ali to force current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to resign.

Currently in self-exile in Spain’s Barcelona, Ali who was a private construction contractor who accused El-Sisi and the Egyptian armed forces’ Engineering Authority of corruption in a series of videos that forced many Egyptians to leave Netflix and follow him especially his performance is entertaining one.

Last Saturday, Sisi denied those corruption charges in the National Youth Conference that was suddenly organized earlier than its usual date.

For the record, no one thought that the protests would spread like this on Friday. Aside from the fear and the doubt about Ali, Egypt had the Super Football game match between Al-Ahly and Zamalek so many though the public would be busy with the game.
This is higher than my expectations in every way.
In my house, I heard a very flash small protest chanting moving to Giza Galaa Square in Agouza chanting that old chant.
‘Leave, leave’ and as I came to the window, I found the neighbors and the people sitting in nearby cafes all were watching in silence.
We have not heard of this chant since 2013.
Soon enough I knew that the protest was dispersed by tear gases.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is currently on the board of the presidential airplane heading to New York where he will participate in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly for the fifth time.
I thought that he may not go with all those rumors and videos coming from here and there throughout the last three weeks.
Usually, he is accompanied by the head of the General intelligence service General Abbas Kamel.

The Egyptian mainstream media was in another parallel universe far away from Cairo and New York.
The same strategy applied in January 2011, nothing has changed and no one learned anything.
On MBC Misr, TV host Amr Adeeb kept attacking the MB accusing them of standing against the protests and reminding the people at the same time that they should choose someone else than Sisi in the upcoming presidential elections.I do not know when the next presidential elections will be held after the constitutional amendments referendum we held earlier this year, I know that it is not soon.
On DMC, TV host Ramy Radwan spoke about the International Day of Pizza !!

What did happen for real ?

Most Egyptians including myself do not know what is going on or what will happen.
Most of the 25 January revolution activists despite they have been against calls for protests called by Mohamed Ali especially there are political powers or organizations in the lead like 6 April Youth in Egypt or the Sudanese Professions Association.
There is a fear of crackdown and that more people would pay the price and lose their freedom.
Is it an attempt or a new phase of the 25th January revolution?
Is it a hidden war between security agencies in Egypt as many believe?
Is it a soft coup?
Is it the banned Muslim Brotherhood boogieman?

I do not believe that Muslim Brotherhood as a group is strong enough to be behind this, there is a branch of the divided group already cheering and supporting this movement online and in their mainstream media branches whether in Qatar and Turkey.
The MB is in its weakest time ever, even weaker than their great prosecution in time of Nasser.
Already many of their hardcore hardliners believe that this movement currently in Egypt is actually orchestrated by a discontented faction in the regime.
There is another branch that totally supports protests in Egypt and supports Mohamed Ali in Spain by spreading and publishing his videos online.
This branch is well known and its media arms are in Turkey-based TV channels.
Yes, their channels have gained popularity more and more in the past couple of years as the local TV networks became one-voice-channel.
Yet , still, their channels have failed through all those years to mobilize any major protests against Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

I just do not know.
Those people who went to the streets according to eyewitnesses in Tahrir square are younger than the 25 January revolution generation as well as from lower Middle class and working class mostly
One thing for sure, there are many Egyptians who are angry enough and could not find safe or normal venues like other people in the world to express their anger peacefully.
Something has happened in the 20th September 2019 Friday Night and I pray it will result in something good inshallah.
I am trying not to have any high hopes like in the past.
I do not know if it has to with getting older or depression or what.
Hope is a dangerous game in our part of the world but you can’t underestimate it.

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