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2013-02-22
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/update-kafr-al-sheikh-opposition-forces-start-sit-city-council
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Protesters from the Popular Current, Dostour Party, Karama Party and April 6 Yout Movement staged a protest in front of the Desouk city council in Kafr al-Sheikh early Friday evening as part of the nationwide "Trial of the Regime" protests against President Mohamed Morsy. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); After Friday prayers, a march kicked off from Ibrahim al-Desouky Mosque to the city headquarters. Protesters chanted demanding the that the goals of the revolution be achieved. They started a sit-in outside the building. A number of protesters also blocked Desouk al-Olwy Bridge, causing major traffic congestion throughout the city. The bridge connects Kafr al-Sheikh to the Beheira, Alexandria and Matrouh governorates. In Tanta, hundreds of demonstrators stormed the Freedom and Justice Party headquarters earlier in the evening, tearing down and burning the party's banners while chanting slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood. Some demonstrators then marched to the Tanta Court, pelting rocks at the building before heading to Mahata Square. Also on Friday evening, protesters in Mahalla al-Kobra City blocked Bahr Road off of Shoan Square, setting tires on fire to stop traffic as they demanded the prosecution of members of Morsy's administration. "Retribution, retribution for the revolution's martyrs," and, "Oh martyr, by your blood [we swear], another revolution anew," they chanted. Opposition political forces called for the nationwide "Trial of the Regime" protests to demand that the Morsy administration, who they hold accountable for the deaths of protesters in January at the Ettehadiya Presidential Palace and in Port Said and Suez, be put on trial. They demand Morsy's ouster, early presidential elections, and a veto on the Shura Council's Parliamentary Elections Law, which puts Alexandria in the second phase of voting in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Protesters claim the law gives Islamists an unfair opportunity to regain popularity in the governorate after failing to win in Alexandria during the presidential elections. Also in Mahalla, dozens gathered in Shoan Square, distributing leaflets that read, "Since President Mohamed Morsy came to power in Egypt, he has been working hard along with his group to bury the revolutionary movement." The president used security forces to suppress demonstrations, resulting in the killing, injury and arrest of many protesters, the leaflet alleged. The statement proclaimed that the people's will would triumph over oppression and tyranny, and the people would establish the state they dream of in the end. In Alexandria, hundreds of protesters marched from Al-Qaed Ibrahim Mosque to the northern military region after Friday prayers. The first of four marches left immediately after Friday prayers ended. Protesters called on military leaders to deploy soldiers to oust Morsy and hold early presidential elections. The second march included dozens of women. In the third, protesters rejected the army's interference in politics, chanting: "No military, no Brothers, Egyptian people are in the square." Protesters in the forth march called for nationwide civil disobedience and the toppling of the Morsy administration. Early Friday afternoon protesters in Port Said's Shohada Square escalated their demands for Morsy's removal. Massive marches kicked off from mosques across the city, led by Ultras Masrawy, opposition political groups and the families of those killed in the recent clashes. Protesters called for a continuation of civil disobedience until their demands are met. Friday marks the sixth day of civil disobedience in Port Said, which has suspended the work of several state bodies in the city. Protesters staging a sit-in outside the governorate headquarters urged demonstrators to remain peaceful, and to respect state and private facilities. Popular committees were formed to attempt to detect infiltrators or armed thugs. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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209 |
2013-02-24
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/dozens-shut-mugamma-tahrir-threaten-shut-down-sadat-metro
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Dozens of protesters in Tahrir Square on Sunday shut down the Mugamma as part of protests against President Mohamed Morsy's call for parliamentary elections in April. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Fights broke out between protesters and Mugamma employees, with citizens trying to access services also getting involved. Mugamma security did not attempt to stop the protests. Speakers on the main stage set up at Tahrir called on the protesters blocking the Mugamma to also block tracks at the Sadat metro station. Ultras Ahlawy members, meanwhile, sprayed graffiti on buildings and put up posters inside the metro station saying, "9 March is the police's turn," "Those who died, died for us to live freely" and "When I let go of his right [the martyr's], I'll be dead indeed," referring to the sentencing session for police defendants in the Port Said football violence trial. A group of retired military veterans also distributed leaflets urging Egyptians to protest Monday in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Nasr City against what it described as Brotherhood attempts to take over state institutions. Morsy has announced that elections of the lower house of parliament, the House of Representatives, will take place in four stages at the end of April and beginning of May, amid criticism and calls for boycott by opposition forces. Critics have complained about unfair seat distribution among governorates and the absence of guarantees for an impartial vote. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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210 |
2013-02-24
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/sunday-s-papers-electoral-boycotts-and-easter-conflicts
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The most common topic in this morning's newspapers is that Egypt's parliamentary elections, previously schedule to begin on 27 April, have been moved forward to start on 22 April. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The decision came after Coptic Christians criticized the timing of the parliamentary elections, which would take place during the Easter holiday. The changes to the schedule will affect all four stages of the elections. The state-owned Al-Akhbar newspaper leads with "Postpone the election of the House of Representatives in response to the demands of the Copts," in a clear nod to the presidency's tolerance, while the FJP mouthpiece Freedom and Justice says more bluntly, "Fahmy [Shura Council speaker]: The president consents to the church, [makes] adjustments to the parliamentary elections schedule." Conversely, privately-owned Youm7 says that the "Church's anger forced the presidency to adjust the parliamentary elections schedule." The privately owned Al-Shorouk newspaper focuses on the upcoming election, and how it says it will deepen the country's political, as well as opposition calls for a boycott. The paper reports that opposition figure and Dostour Party leader Mohamed ElBaradei and Popular Current and National Salvation Front leader Hamdeen Sabbahi have both called for election boycotts, and Amr Hamzawy has also said that a boycott may be the opposition's best option. The Freedom and Justice Party has condemned calls for a boycott, while the Nour Party has criticized the scheduling of elections without first reaching an agreement between different political parties. Both the Nour and the Wafd Parties will meet today to decide their plans regarding the elections. State-owned Al-Akhbar's front page leads with "Quiet in Shubra and Tahrir, disobedience continues in Port Said." The newspaper points to strikes which have closed down seaports, customs outlets and roads leading to the governorate, while the Armed Forces have deployed military police to Port Said's streets to manage traffic in the absence of Interior Ministry police as the city enters the eighth day of a civil disobedience campaign. The paper also reports that hundreds of members of the Al-Masry football club's Green Eagles ultras blocked the Port Said-Ismailia and Port Said-Cairo roads Saturday as well as the Raswa customs port. Privately owned Al-Tahrir newspaper reports that the people of Port Said are shunning the upcoming parliamentary elections and have warned Salafi candidates against participating, announcing that the elections "are not happening in their city." Freedom and Justice's front page quotes Prime Minister Hesham Qandil as saying that "A judge had been assigned to investigate last month's clashes in Port Said," which left around 50 dead after a verdict was announced in the Port Said football massacre case. Qandil also said that the declaration of a state of emergency in the city on 27 January and later partially rescinded was due to the "exceptional circumstances." State-owned Al Ahram and Al-Akhbar both report that Shubra is quiet after calls for civil disobedience have mostly fallen on deaf ears, while protesters have once again closed all of the entrances to Tahrir Square, despite the Interior Ministry's promise to set a plan for tearing down the concrete walls downtown. The papers reported that popular committee members placed metal barriers across all entrances. Both papers also reported that bakeries are threatening to strike Thursday if the government does not yield to their demands and pay them overdue compensation for production incentives and differences in diesel prices. Meanwhile, Al-Shorouk also highlighted on its front page statements from Central Bank Governor Hisham Ramez during an interview saying, "I expect the end of the decline in strategic foreign reserves by next month." Egypt's papers: Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party Youm7: Daily, privately owned Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned Al-Sabah: Daily, privately owned Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party
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211 |
2013-02-25
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-ahlawy-rally-ahead-second-ruling-port-said-stadium-case
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Hundreds of Ultras Ahlawy googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); staged a mass rally inside Cairo University on Monday to demand justice for the martyrs of the Port Said stadium massacre, ahead of a second ruling in case expected on 9 March. Protesters held banners and chanted for retaliation against the police officers on trial for the deaths of at least 72 football fans in the incident. The protest kicked off from the central library and then headed across the campus, as protesters chanted and sang songs against the military council and the Interior Ministry. They also held photos of the victims. Security was heightened around the university gates, anticipating potential clashes. The Ultras Ahlawy issued a statement warning against the consequences if the police officers are not found guilty. "We will not waive the rights of anyone who killed, planned or betrayed. This case would be the first for police officers to be given sentences and a beginning for the purge of the Interior Ministry," the statement said. Seventy-two Ahly team fans were killed and hundreds were injured on 1 February 2012 when Port Said's Masry supporters stormed the pitch after a rare victory over Ahly. On 26 January 2013, the Port Said Criminal Court referred 21 defendants in the case to the mufti to potentially be sentenced to death, sparking violent protests in Port Said. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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212 |
2013-02-26
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/tuesday-s-papers-boycott-or-not-boycott
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The headlines of Tuesday's newspapers continue to express alarm over escalating political polarization. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The liberal Wafd Party's daily writes that the Salafi Nour Party has announced its participation in the upcoming elections for the House of Representatives, formerly the People's Assembly, and is ready to join any electoral political alliance, as long as it has an Islamic background. The ultra-conservative party has backed away from its previous stance boycotting the controversial polls because of reservations about the dates. Bassem al-Zarqa, a member of the party's board, demanded that the government guarantee the transparency of the balloting process, the paper reports. State-owned paper Al-Akhbar says that Islamist party Al-Wasat has decided to compete in April's parliamentary polls. The party is reportedly holding initial discussions about running with other Islamist political parties to run together on a single ballot. On the other hand, the recently-established Al-Sabah newspaper writes that the opposition coalition National Salvation Front will meet today to announce whether to boycott or take part in the polls. The paper quotes Amr Moussa, head of the Conference Party, as saying that he intends to boycott the elections. However, "If boycotting takes place, it should be collective," he adds. On its front-page, privately-owned daily Al-Watan highlights eye-catching quotes from Mohamed ElBaradei, the Dostour Party head, in his latest BBC interview. The paper's headline reads: "ElBaradei calls on the army to interfere" and quotes him as saying, "Holding elections now puts Egypt on a path [toward] chaos." ElBaradei, a prominent figure within the NSF, said he supported boycotting the elections on Sunday because the current government is following in the footsteps of Mubarak's 30-year regime, threatening electoral transparency, Al-Watan writes. Privately-owned paper Al-Tahrir writes that the Ultras Ahlawy have organized a massive march calling for retribution against the police officers on trial for the deaths of at least 72 football fans in February 2012 during the "Port Said Massacre." Protesters chanted anti-interior ministry slogans and threatened chaos if justice is not served. They reportedly held banners baring the pictures and names of those who lost their lives at a football match in Port Said between Ahly and local club Al-Masry on 1 February 2012. The same newspaper publishes a story reporting that bakers across the governorates are outraged by the new subsidization system for bread products. The government is considering subsidizing final bread products only, while placing the cost burden of grain and flour fully on bakery owners. The paper says that bakers have announced they will go on strike starting at the beginning of March if the government goes ahead with the new subsidy scheme. Freedom and Justice, the mouthpiece of the Muslim Brotherhood's political arm, dedicates the upper half of its front page to President Mohamed Morsy's interview aired after midnight in the early hours Monday. The partisan paper sheds light on the parts of the interview that help burnish Morsy's image amid growing criticism of the Cabinet's lackluster response to the country's crises. Morsy conceded that the Cabinet's performance has not been spectacular, but argued that changing it now would have negative implications both for Egypt's image and the economy. In a two-page spread, Al-Wafd paper provides an in-depth analysis of the president's interview by a number of politicians, who claim that Morsy did not offer a drastic solution for the current political deadlock. Flagship state daily Al-Ahram publishes a classic example of its coverage template concerning the so-called achievements of Prime Minister Hesham Qandil's government. In its leading story, the paper focuses on tedious details, aiming to convey a clear message that the government is directing all efforts to salvaging the country from myriad economic crises. Egypt's papers: Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party Youm7: Daily, privately owned Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned Al-Sabah: Daily, privately owned Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party
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213 |
2013-02-28
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/merchant-city-port-said-calls-dignity-and-justice
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PORT SAID - In the ongoing protest movement that has gripped the city of Port Said googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); for the past month, no Egyptian flags were raised. Instead, a green, white and black flag dominates marches across the coastal city, replacing the red in the Egyptian flag with the green of Port Said's Masry football club's flag. The club is at the center of the court case that sparked the city's most recent wave of protests. "Here is the flag of Port Said. This is our country, and we're willing to die for it," one demonstrator shouted during last Friday's protest. Eerily quiet streets and metal bars blocking shop windows during the day signaled the success of the civil disobedience movement announced in the city last week. But the specter of violence that accompanied Mahalla and Mansoura's recent calls for civil disobedience was absent. If anything, the exercise of disobedience lent the city a sense of serenity. Rejecting violence, the palpable anger of the city's residents has instead been channeled toward an amplified sense of local solidarity and an increased resentment toward the state, and, at times, even society. Port Saidis come first Thousands marched across the city Friday, winding through the same streets where people were killed with live ammunition in violent clashes last month, some pointing to bullet holes that pierced kiosk fronts. The politically affiliated and the unaffiliated, women and youth, as well as Masry football supporters took part in the protest, calling for the rights of those who were killed, and also for the independence of Port Said. "We will free Port Said, our brothers were killed," the crowd chanted. City residents say the state of mass protests and collective solidarity it has experienced in the last week is unprecedented, even in the first days of the 25 January revolution. While their participation in past revolutionary waves may not have been strong, protesters say the fight became personal when their people were killed in the street. "We are in the street because of feelings of injustice. Every household in Port Said is suffocating. People are dying of rage and grief, and [the president] is ignoring us. The whole country is ignoring us as if we are nothing," said Mervat Fouda, a teacher participating in the protest. Beyond the feelings of marginalization common outside Cairo, Port Said residents feel the city has been singled out for oppression since the days of former President Hosni Mubarak. "People tell us we're all Egyptians. No, I am not Egyptian; I am Port Saidi first and foremost," said 22-year-old Mahmoud Hassan, a recent university graduate. "They have to understand that our first concern now is Port Said. We will defend it even if we have to take up arms and kill other Egyptians." Feeling that revolutionaries have aligned against them, he said he doesn't feel any sense of belonging to Egypt's revolution. Instead, he considering the protest to be Port Said's own revolution. "Port Said was insulted in Tahrir Square. I don't identify with that square and I'm not proud of a revolution that insults my country," he said, asserting that his country is Port Said. In Martyrs Square, the protest movement's center and stage for a sit-in in its second week, a banner offered a vivid image of the feeling of disassociation and resentment residents harbor toward the rest of the country. The sign featured the red symbol of Port Said with two olive branches and an anchor in between in the form of a man pushing away the Egyptian flag. It read, "Get away from me and leave me alone, if you will only be unjust to me." The words "free and independent Port Said" were written above another picture of the city's symbol. The recent wave of unrest was sparked last month when security forces resorted to live bullets to quell protests denouncing a court verdict in which 21 people, mostly Masry football fans, received death sentences. They had been sentenced for killing at least 72 people during post-match violence at Port Said Stadium last year. Protesters' demands include the prosecution of the interior minister and those responsible for the post-verdict violence and deaths, the retrial of those who received death sentences, and the prosecution of the Port Said governor and security chief for failing to protect the people. Protesters believe the court verdict and death sentences were politically motivated - a result of political pressure applied by Ahly Ultras, hardcore Cairo-based football fans. "Is their blood precious, while ours is cheap?" Sayed Mansour, a day laborer, asked. Offended that the president has scheduled parliamentary elections despite the city's current situation, many residents reject the polls and insist they won't allow preparations to take place. "There will be no election in this state," one protester shouted, referring to Port Said. "It's only a matter of time til we get our independence. They can have their election over there in their country, Cairo. We have nothing to do with them now - there's blood between us." Official reactions fall short The official response to the disobedience thus far has only further fueled anger. "After one week of uprisings - of us pouring our hearts out in the streets, only to be ignored and not offered a single apology - [President Mohamed Morsy] thanks those who killed our brothers," said Ateyat, an education employee, as she led the chants, banging a pan with a piece of metal. Days into the disobedience campaign, Morsy announced the government would draft a law to return the free trade zone to Port Said, which would revitalize commerce. He said LE400 million would be allocated for the three Suez Canal cities, Port Said, Suez and Ismailia. However, the financial concessions, coupled with the lack of response to protesters' demands, have only elicited more frustration. "I have a proposition for Morsy: Why doesn't he take the LE400 million and give us his three children? Would that satisfy him?" asked Electricity Ministry employee Ahmed Gamal, insisting that retribution for the martyrs remains a non-negotiable demand. In a pre-recorded interview aired behind schedule early Monday morning, Morsy responded to a question on civil disobedience, dismissing it as acts of thuggery and claiming protesters forced employees and shops to join the movement against their will. A protester who works in small investments says what Port Said's people want, above all, is to feel heard. "The buildup of oppression is now approaching the point of explosion. I'm telling the president to expect the worst," he said. "We only want him to give Port Said 48 hours of his time. Look at us, listen to every person with a grievance for five minutes - otherwise, the country will fall apart." Disobedience takes toll on city, but not people The only people seen in Hameidy, one of the main markets in Port Said, on Friday were the vendors sitting idly in front of the shops. In the absence of clients, some shops were closed, while other shop owners said they opened only to keep each other company, after growing bored of staying home for most of the past month. Despite their losses, the merchants still support the disobedience movement. They blame their current state on the government's callous indifference. "Each one of these booths feeds more than a dozen families that haven't had any income in a month," one merchant said. "If Morsy doesn't deal with the crisis, they will have to turn to stealing or dealing drugs." The response to this most recent call for disobedience has massively exceeded similar calls over the past two years. Government employees uncharacteristically responded to the call, shutting down many government offices, while schools closed for more than a week. Different shops and syndicates put up banners around the city announcing their solidarity with the people's demands, and fliers urged people not to pay their bills "because our money is used to buy weapons that the Interior Ministry uses to kill our sons." Though naval traffic was allowed to flow to the critical Suez Canal, many canal-associated companies responsible for shipping and maintenance joined the disobedience movement, and one of Port Said's two ports shut down. The second issued a statement announcing it would remain operative due to its importance, saying it stands in solidarity with the city's demands. While the disobedience movement has gravely affected the economy, the security situation in Port Said is remarkably stable. Despite the absence of police, no incidents of thuggery were reported during the week, as citizens have taken to maintaining security themselves. Military units are only deployed to secure strategic and state buildings. Protesters are determined not to resort to violence, and are intent on proving wrong those who allege that those killed in Port Said were thugs. However, it remains to be seen how long this self-restraint will last, as some are already calling for an escalation. "Port Said for the government is the Suez Canal. As long as the canal is functioning, they'll remain indifferent. We'll close it for them," one protester shouted during Friday's protest. The economic fallout over the past month is visible, yet this city of merchants remains defiant, persisting in its belief that nothing else will restore its dignity and rights. "We have survived two years in difficult conditions, we can survive one more," exclaimed a protester and street cart vendor. "Port Said won't go hungry." This piece was originally published in Egypt Independent's weekly print edition. - See more at: https://www.egyptindependent.com/news/offside-egypt-s-transitional-politics-shows-football-red-card#sthash.Cb5huNFm.dpuf This piece was originally published in Egypt Independent's weekly print edition. - See more at: https://www.egyptindependent.com/news/offside-egypt-s-transitional-politics-shows-football-red-card#sthash.Cb5huNFm.dpuf This piece was originally published in Egypt Independent's weekly print edition.
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214 |
2013-02-28
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/port-said-protester-alleges-abuse-hands-police
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A Port Said man alleged security forces dragged him through the street Wednesday and beat him as unrest continued in the coastal city. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The allegations are similar to accounts and video footage of protester Hamada al-Masry being dragged and repeatedly beaten by Central Security Forces on 1 February amid demonstrations at the presidential palace in Heliopolis, Cairo. The Port Said citizen, Alaa Mostafa Mohamed, said he was headed with two colleagues to a sandwich shop near Shohada Square when an officer in a passing police car made "inappropriate signals" and exchanged insults with the men. "I was surprised by a police officer and six of his soldiers grabbing me by my clothes. They dragged me [on ground] then they carried me to the car," he said. "They sprayed [something] on my eyes so that I could not see them, then beat me severely." The alleged incident comes amid an anti-government civil disobedience campaign in the city that began earlier this month. Employees from the SEWS factory for electrical wiring, the Alexandria and Cairo banks and the National Bank of Egypt joined the protests. Demonstrators attempted to break through Armed Forces' cordons around the local notary office at the Port Said Court Wednesday before soldiers calmed them down. The notary closed in the morning after dozens of protesters led by Ali "Spicy", a leader of the local Masry Ultras football fan club, were denied a request to notarize petitions for Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to take over the government from President Mohamed Morsy. After consulting the Justice Ministry, notary employees reportedly said they could not process the paperwork. Spicy said the citizens would collect the petitions themselves and give them to military leadership to submit to the defense minister. Unhappy with the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsy's performance, some protest groups in several cities have recently called for the military to seize power. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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215 |
2013-03-01
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/sisi-reaffirms-independence-military-citizens-petition-his-rule-port-said-red-sea-daqahliya
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googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The military will remain loyal to the country, and protect its national security above all else, Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi vowed on Thursday. Sisi was responding to calls from reactionary political factions for the military to wrest power of the country away from President Mohamed Morsy's administration. He made the statement as military school students renewed their oath of allegiance in front of Sisi after finishing basic training. The oath is a new tradition implemented to reaffirm the students' loyalty to the country and the military, and not to any political or religious movement or organization, a military source told Al-Masry Al-Youm. Any student demonstrating an affiliation with any particular political faction would be dismissed, the source added. Attempts to notarize petitions calling for Sisi to take command of the Red Sea and Daqahliya Governorates resumed on Thursday, echoing similar attempts in Port Said on Wednesday. Notary offices refused to accept the petitions, however, leading to clashes between employees there and citizens. Reactions to the petitions varied among political forces in those governorates, with some supporting the move and others objecting to it. Also on Thursday, the Ultras Masrawy and several political movements resumed civil disobedience. Ali Spicy, of the Ultras Masrawy, said they would continue to fight to notarize petitions to authorize Sisi's rule. Branches of the Central Bank of Egypt, Ahly Bank, Alexandria Bank and the Banque du Caire were closed. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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216 |
2013-03-02
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/protesters-burn-port-said-police-station-after-five-run-over
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Protesters have set a Port Said police department ablaze after a police vehicle allegedly ran over five people during a demonstration calling for civil disobedience. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); A group of residents said that the vehicle ran over five people on Mohamed Ali Street as dozens of ultras supporting Al-Masry and other local residents were marching to demand that gas companies close their offices in solidarity with protesters. Eyewitnesses said the group was intercepted by a speeding police vehicle near the intersection of Mohamed Ali and Thalatheeny Streets, where it ran over five protesters while a police officer fired shots in the air. The driver then lost control of the vehicle, hitting a street lamp and another vehicle. Military police arrived at the scene to direct traffic, while one of the ultras handed them a metal panel with the vehicle's number. Military police also helped transport the injured to Port Said Public Hospital. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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217 |
2013-03-03
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/sunday-s-papers-plague-locusts-plague-brutality
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The most widespread news in today's newspapers is related to protesters being run down in Mansoura and Port Said, as fresh clashes broke out between protesters and riot police. Independent Al-Shorouk newspaper reports that the scope of the bloody confrontations expanded in both cities after recurring incidents of police cars running over protesters. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); It is not a mere coincidence that a police car runs over five people in Port Said leaving them seriously injured, only two days after an armored police vehicle crushed Hossam Abdallah Abdel Azim in Mansoura, as activists confirm that the police cars have intentionally run over the protesters, while condemning police brutality in dealing with demonstrators. In Port Said, a group of residents said that the vehicle ran over five people on Mohamed Ali Street as dozens of ultras supporting Masry football team and other local residents were marching to demand companies to close their offices in solidarity with the civil disobedience campaign. At the same time in Mansoura, clashes escalated between protesters and police forces after the funeral of the young man hit by a police vehicle. The Black Bloc group condemned police violence and called on other protestors to join them in Daqahlia, according to Youm7, which reports that the Popular Current and the Popular Coalition headquarters received tens of injured protestors hit by cartridge cases. Privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm and Al-Tahrir lead with "Run over and severe violence in Morsy's state" and "Dragged and crushed killings" respectively, as both highlight yesterdays' violent incidents. Al-Masry Al-Youm writes that dozens of angry protesters threw rocks at Mansoura general prison during the funeral, as mobs also broke into Mansoura's security directorate. It continues that the city of Tanta, in Gharbiya governorate, witnessed street fights between protesters and security forces and that protesters besieged the security directorate, which led to police forces firing tear gas to disperse them. Moreover, the political movements and forces in Ismailia have called for a civil disobedience campaign to start today. Privately owned Al-Watan newspaper writes that police continued to brutally beat, drag and crush protesters in four governorates, whereas the Mansoura battle continued for 12 hours, leaving one killed and 112 injured in Mansoura alone. State owned Al-Akhbar leads saying that the High Judicial Elections Commission announced Saturday that candidates could start applying on 9 March to stand for House of Representatives elections. State owned Al-Ahram writes that commission head Samir Abul Maty said candidates could apply through 16 March, and that the applications would go to a special committee for each governorate. However, the opposition Al-Wafd newspaper reads "No retreat from boycott." The newspaper reports that the National Salvation Front continues to hold meetings with all social classes to come up with a plan to boycott the parliamentary elections. A number of today's newspaper also focused on US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Egypt. Al-Watan writes that Kerry will meet with NSF leader Amr Moussa, whereas the NSF announced that it would not accept any pressure to participate in the elections. Al-Shorouk also highlights that NSF will not attend meetings with Kerry, adding that there are ongoing communications with the US administration to explain its reasons for boycotting the parliamentary elections. One of the common topics in the news today was the swarms of locusts appeared in Cairo skies, Al-Akhbar reported, adding that the insects were clearly visible in the Moqattam neighborhood, moving toward Nasr City, New Cairo and Katamiya areas, and that swarms had also reached the Cairo-Suez highway. Egypt's papers: Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party Youm7: Daily, privately owned Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned Al-Sabah: Daily, privately own Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party
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2013-03-03
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-ahlawy-protest-central-bank-demand-retaliation
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Security forces have started negotiations with Ultras Ahlawy googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); , who gathered at the Central Bank of Egypt in downtown Cairo to demand retaliation for their fellow group members killed during the Port Said Stadium violence in February last year. About 600 protesters from the football fan group prevented employees and customers from going in and out of the bank, state newspaper Al-Ahram's website reported. Cairo security chief Major General Osama al-Sagheer deployed more Central Security Forces to the area and imposed a cordon around the bank, fearing attacks. Security troops, headed by Major General Ali al-Demerdash, deputy chief of the Cairo Security Directorate, are negotiating with protesters to reopen the bank, which has been closed for hours. Cairo traffic chief Major General Hassan al-Bardissy sent traffic police to the area, Al-Ahram reported. About seventy-two football fans, most of them rooting for Cairo's Ahly team, were killed on 2 February last year after a match with Port Said's Masry team, after Masry fans stormed the pitch and attacked Ahly fans. Many partially blamed security forces for the violence, claiming police negligence. Port Said Criminal Court is expected to rule in a case over the violence on 9 March. In a related verdict in January, it handed down death sentences for 21 defendants, sparking widespread anger and outcry in the Suez Canal city. Clashes that erupted between protesters and police after the January verdict killed 40 people, and Port Said residents have since launched a civil disobedience campaign to demand justice over those deaths.
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2013-03-04
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/update-four-killed-over-100-injured-port-said-violence-says-ministry
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Violent confrontations between police and protesters in Port Said left 123 injured on Monday, said Helmy al-Efny, the Port Said deputy of the Health Ministry. Fourteen protesters were injured by bird shot, while three others suffered bone fractures and other wounds. The rest suffered from asphyxia caused by tear gas. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Khaled al-Khatib, the head of the Central Department for Critical and Urgent Care, said that a total of four individuals died in Port Said during clashes on Sunday and Monday. President Mohamed Morsy called an emergency meeting with Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim on Monday evening to discuss the deteriorating security situation in Port Said. Ibrahim submitted a report to Morsy regarding what he called attacks on Port Said security forces by "unknown elements," and claimed there were clashes between police personnel and members of the Armed Forces in the city. The president and minister will also discuss security issues regarding transferring defendents in the Port Said Stadium massacre case to other prisons. Clashes broke out again at Port Said Security Directorate earlier on Monday afternoon, coinciding with the funeral procession held for a protester killed in Sunday's clashes. Protesters participating in the funeral hurled stones at security forces around the building, who fired teargas at the crowd. Prior to the outbreak of the violence, thousands marched in the funeral procession of three people killed in overnight clashes with police. Army leaders participated n the funeral of 17-year-old Sayed Ali al-Sayed, who died on Sunday on front of Port Said Security Directorate after being struck in the head. Major General Nasser Mohamed, commander of the forces securing Port Said Governorate, and a number of military police soldiers took part in the funeral. The march began at Mariam Mosque, and was joined by thousands, including members of the Ultras Masrawy and the families of the victims. A car belonging to the Armed Forces Morale Affairs Department accompanied the march while playing verses of the Quran. Mourners chanted, "No god but Allah, the Brotherhood are the enemies of Allah," and "I swear with your blood, martyr, another revolution [will start]" until they reached Port Said cemetery. The funeral of the other victim, 22-year-old Abdel Rahman al-Sayed, is scheduled for Monday evening. After clashes broke out in front of the security directorate, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that Central Security Forces fired live ammunition at the protesters and one protester received a bullet in the head and was transferred to the city's military hospital. A military armored vehicle fired live ammunition in the direction of Port Said Security Directorate, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported, adding that Armed Forces inspected the roofs of buildings surrounding the directorate buildings and demanding police forces withdraw. Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that police forces responded by firing live ammunition and tear gas canisters at three military armored vehicles, which approached the walls of the directorate. The soldiers abandoned these vehicles after they suffered suffocation. Ambulances carried five army soldiers to nearby hospitals. In a statement on Monday, the Interior Ministry claimed that unknown elements randomly fired gunshots at the police and the armed forces in an attempt to drive a wedge between them. The statement appealed to the residents of Port Said to stay away from government and police installations. Meanwhile, Port Said Governorate building, adjacent to the directorate building, was partially set ablaze. Five were killed and 404 were injured late Sunday in violence between police and anti-regime protesters in Cairo and Port Said, said Mohamed Sultan, the head of Egypt's ambulance services. Two members of Egypt's security forces and three civilians were killed on Sunday and hundreds injured when shooting broke out during clashes between protesters and police in the Suez Canal city of Port Said, security and medical sources said on Monday, bringing the death toll to five. Meanwhile, the Armed Forces denied rumors that Army Colonel Sherif al-Arishy, who was shot in Port Said on Sunday, died of his injuries. The colonel, according to the Armed Forces, is currently in Helmiya Military Hospital being treated for a gunshot wound in his right leg. The Armed Forces spokesperson also denied reports of clashes between the Armed Forces and the police in Port Said Sunday., saying that both sides were shot at by unknown attackers. Sultan said in press statements earlier on Monday, quoted by state-run news agency MENA, that 30 ambulances helped transport 400 protesters who were injured outside the Port Said Security Directorate and governorate building. He noted that the victims suffered various injuries from Molotovs, birdshot and tear gas. Port Said Health Department head Helmy al-Afny had announced the death of two CSF officers who were shot during the clashes outside the security directorate, the death toll later rising to three. The clashes in Port Said erupted after the Interior Ministry transferred defendants in the 2012 Port Said Stadium massacre case to a prison in Zagazig, Sharqiya. The defendants are awaiting a final verdict on 9 March over charges of murdering 72 football fans after a Premiere League football match in February 2012. A Cairo court sentenced 21 defendants in the case to death in January, sparking ongoing protests in Port Said. Sultan also added that three protesters were hit by a police car in Cairo during clashes Sunday night around Tahrir Square.
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2013-03-05
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/update-ultras-ahlawy-set-fire-ex-interior-minister-s-dokki-apartment
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Hundreds of Ultras Ahlawy members set fire to the outside of former Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Youssef's apartment building in Dokki during a Tuesday protest. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); After, they headed for the residence of current Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, who lives on Makram Ebeid Street in Nasr City, where they set fire to a police vehicle before being driven away. The angry demonstrators had first gathered in Al-Saha Square to protest any postponement to the next Port Said football stadium verdict scheduled for 9 March. The incident resulted in 74 football fans dying following a game in Port Said last year while Youssef was in power. Unnamed security sources also said demonstrators had lit another police vehicle ablaze near the building, injuring at least one officer. Ultras Ahlawy fans had also shot fireworks and chanted club songs during the protest. The group had announced two marches Tuesday: one to Youssef's home and the second to Ibrahim's residence. The group said in a statement, "The Interior Ministry has not changed, continues to kill the people without accountability and if retribution does not come, we will get it with our hands." In response, authorities had beefed up security at Youssef's Dokki home. The Port Said criminal court sentenced several defendants to death in its first ruling on 26 Janurary, which prompted widespread violence and protests in the canal community. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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221 |
2013-03-06
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-ahlawy-burn-police-car-giza-security-directorate
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Ultras Ahlawy members set a police car parked at the Giza Security Directorate on fire after deflating its tires Wednesday, while also hurling flares into the Giza Governorate headquarters and closing off surrounding streets to traffic. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Hundreds of members of Ultras Ahlway had earlier marched from Cairo University to the Giza Security Directorate, chanting "the case is not over" and carrying banners reading "the Interior Ministry's turn is coming." In February 2012, 74 Ahly fans were killed after a match against Al-Masry Club in Port Said, when the latter's supporters stormed the bleachers where Ahly fans were sitting. A court sentenced 21 defendants in the case to death on 26 January, and the fates of the remaining suspects will be decided Saturday, 9 March. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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222 |
2013-03-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/interior-ministry-warns-strict-measures
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The Interior Ministry warned Saturday that it would take "strict procedures" to combat ongoing attacks against authorities and institutions, after an attack by Ultras Ahlawy members Saturday left the Egyptian Football Association and the Police Club in Gezira in flames. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); In a statement, the ministry said it will resort to unspecified procedures "to curb the dangers, [the effects of which] would reach everyone and directly affect the nation stability, within law and standards." The ministry called on all revolutionary, political forces and NGOs to play a national role and take responsibility for intervening to halt the violence. The statement also called on families and parents to keep their children away from the areas of violence and confrontations to avoid danger. One protester was killed Saturday by tear gas on the Qasr al-Nil Bridge, while a child reportedly suffered a gunshot wound to the head nearby on the Corniche during protests.
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223 |
2013-03-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/port-said-massacre-verdict-feared-many
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Egypt awaits today the verdict of Sobhy Abdel Hamid, the head of the Port Said Criminal Court who is to decide the fate of 73 suspects accused of killing 72 football ultras after a match played last year turned violent. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The verdict follows a week of clashes between police and protesters in several cities, including Port Said, which has erupted in anger when an earlier verdict last January in the same case gave the death penalty to 21 of its youths, who were suspects in the case. The people of Port Said charge the government of President Mohamed Morsy of scapegoating them in the case by accusing the fans of their main football team, Masry, of killing Cairo's Ahly fans after the match played between the two clubs. They say that in order to please the densely populated Cairo and its Ahly ultras, Morsy had to sacrifice Port Said, which is less relevant electorally for him. But the anger in Port Said has extended to several other cities in the Delta, most notably, Daqahliya and Gharbiya, as well as Cairo, where clashes between police and protesters rose in the wake of anti-regime protests. These clashes have perturbed the stability of the security apparatus, with wide-scale protests taking place in the ranks of the Central Security Forces, strikes in several police stations and a complete withdrawal of the security from several areas, including the whole of Port Said. Protesting soldiers and officers have been calling for the resignation of Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim, for implicating the security apparatus in the political scene. The Port Said massacre case falls right in the midst of this contention. Nine of the suspects in the case are policemen. They include Essam Samak, the former head of the Port Said security directorate, as well as the former heads of the National Security Agency and the Central Security Forces in the governorate. The nine suspects were not included in the death penalty verdict of last January, which is still being examined by the grand mufti, a standard procedure with executions here. Shawqy Allam, the newly elected mufti, refrained from submitting his decision on the death penalty to the court, claiming that he didn't have enough time to study the case sufficiently. This may lead to the postponement of today's verdict, which is ripe with contentions. "The case has been confusing from the beginning, and all the evidence can have different faces. But the angry political street and the security instability cannot bear a ruling less than satisfactory for all parties," said Tarek Khedr, head of the Constitutional Law Department in the Police Academy. He argued that if policemen are given tough sentences, this may further exacerbate the mounting anger within the security apparatus and contribute to policemen further losing their self-confidence and ability to do their jobs. If they are not, the ultras of Ahly, whose co-fans are the victims of the massacre, have threatened of retaliation by spreading chaos in Cairo and beyond. The lawyers representing the families of the victims insist that the policemen were implicated in the case beyond just failing to stop the massacre. In the prosecution's investigation, it was found that one of the accused policemen, Mohamed Saad, who was on duty at the stadium when the massacre happened, had closed the emergency door of the stadium from the side where the Ahly ultras were sitting, right before the match ended. This has prevented them from running away when the Masry ultras started attacking them. Moreover, Ahmad Abdallah, former governor of Port Said, said that when Samak and his collaborators were asked about the security plan for the match, especially that it was taking place after constant fighting on online social media pages between the two fan groups, their answer was that everything was under control and that there was no need to cancel the match. Mohamed Homos, one of the witnesses in the case, and the head of Samak's office, said that some people showed up at the Security Directorate in Port Said six days ahead of the match and told policemen there that the Masry fans were planning an attack on Ahly fans. That said, Ashraf al-Ezaby, one of the Port Said lawyers representing the defendants, reiterated that nothing was found in the prosecution's investigation that could indict the policemen in the case. "The evidence of the prosecution is weak. And the ruling that was issued for 21 defendants is sheer fear from the anger of Ahly's ultras against the regime. At the end of the day, this ruling can be appealed which means that the case is far from over. And although the people of Port Said don't care much about the fate of the policemen in the case, their legal status is not as bad as many think," Ezaby said. "The only weakness in the case of the policemen is that the match took place that day in the midst of popular anger. But this is not enough to incriminate them. And legally, this translates into neglect, which punishment is prison and not the death penalty," he added. But for the Ahly ultras, the demand is for "justice against all those who planned the massacre and deceived the people." Three scenarios were announced by Ahly ultras on their Facebook pages regarding today's ruling. If the acceptable verdicts are issued against the policemen, Egypt will celebrate, they said. If the ruling is postponed, Egypt will go through a series of acts of instability, including roads and bridges' blocking and closing down of public agencies. If the policemen are found innocent, then the Ministry of Interior will be invaded and burned including all those inside it. For Ahmad Meshaly, a lieutenant and former spokesperson for the Coalition of Police Officers, it is unacceptable that the Ministry of Interior pays the price for a judicial ruling. "It is impossible that the security apparatus pays the price of a ruling against some policemen. The former minister of interior who was in office during the massacre is equally responsible. This is about political responsibility," he said. "The situation won't stabilize this way. Leave the police alone. It can't keep paying the price for the failures of the ruling regimes' political management."
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224 |
2013-03-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/update-acquittals-death-sentences-draw-fire
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The Port Said Criminal Court, headed by Judge Sobhy Abdel Meguid, on Saturday acquitted 28 defendants, sentenced five to life and confirmed the death sentence for 21 of 73 defendants accused of killing 72 fans in the aftermath of a match turned violent in February 2012. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Hassan Yassin, head of the Public Prosecution's technical office, has said that the prosecutor general wouldn't appeal the acquittals of the 28 defendants until reviewing the rationale behind the verdict, telling MENA that doing so would be a violation of the law. Yassin said that any decision to appeal would need to take into account the rationale behind sentencing some of the defendants and acquitting the rest. The court case resumed on Saturday morning at the Police Academy in New Cairo, and immediately drew fiery responses from Port Said for the confirmed death sentences. Several Ultras Ahlawy members set fire to the Police Club and the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association, located in the Gezira area of Zamalek, near Cairo Tower, to protest the acquittals. Police responded with tear gas. Several ultras then blocked traffic on a ramp leading to the 6th of October Bridge, while another group stopped train traffic at the Sadat metro stop for 10 minutes. A third group shut down the entrance to the Qasr al-Nil Bridge from Abdel Moneim Riyadh Square, opening it at 12:30 pm before retreating back to the Ahly Club. Ultras Ahlawy member Mohamed Samir, 18, said the ultras were reacting in anger to the acquittals of police officers in the case. Ultras Ahlawy leaders had earlier called on its members gathering before the Ahly Club gates to leave and postpone their protests until later, due to the high presence of media before the club. They chanted "today ... today," referring to threats to block roads and Cairo metro lines, as well as to "paralyze the whole country," according to an earlier statement. The initial euphoria that prevailed among the ultras as the death sentences for 21 defendants in the Port Said case were upheld gave way to silence, then anger, after news of the acquittal went around. A group leader had said earlier that the utlras were still mulling a response to the acquittals. Saeed al-Badry Farghaly, a former MP representing Port Said described the upheld death sentences as "political and void." "Judges are not angels. We will not surrender and will resort to Court of Cassation," he said. "The ruling is null," Farghaly told Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr satellite TV channel Saturday. "The ruling is political, not legal. They wanted to victimize Port Said residents for the Ultras Ahlawy." "We will challenge the ruling before the Court of Cassation. We will not be prey to anyone whoever he was. We seek achieving justice," he added. Ultras supporting Port Said's Masry Club, the Ultras Green Eagles, issued a statement Saturday slamming a decision by the Port Said Criminal Court upholding death sentences for 21 local supporters of the team. "If you want death penalties, give people death penalties and let them calm down. If you want Interior Ministry figures [to] be brought to trial, give them sentences and let people calm down," the group said in a Facebook post. "It's a politicized judiciary to let one party, which the regime fears, calm down. Let the regime know that Port Said is not a scapegoat to satisfy one party on the expense of a city, that is believed to be a small, attainable one," it added. The group also called on its members to gather at 12 pm in front of the Port Said to decide their next moves. Former head of the Port Said Security Directorate, Essam Samak, one of nine policemen accused in the case, was sentenced to 15 years in jail. Another nine defendants received a similar sentence. Meanwhile, another policeman, Mohamed Saad, was sentenced to life. According to the prosecution's investigations, Saad was on duty at the stadium when the massacre happened and had closed the emergency door of the stadium from the side where the Ultras Ahlawy were sitting right before the match ended, preventing them from fleeing when the Masry ultras attacked. The rest of the nine policemen accused in the case were all acquitted. Six other defendants received 10-year jail sentences and two defendants received five years. One defendant received one year in prison. Abdel Meguid, had sentenced 21 of the defendants to death earlier this year on 26 January. The ruling is still being reviewed by the grand mufti, a standard procedure with death sentences. The ruling prompted a state of anger and chaos in Port Said, where families of the defendants called the ruling unfair and biased toward Cairo's Ahly club fans, whose colleagues were those killed after the match with their adversary, Port Said's Masry club. The Suez Canal governorate has ever since been in a constant state of instability, with ongoing clashes between protesters and police. The city also announced a state of civil disobedience days ago to express opposition to the security crackdown and the government of President Mohamed Morsy. On Friday, police pulled out from the city, leaving the Armed Forces with the responsibility of securing public institutions. On Saturday morning, the Armed Forces erected a concrete wall around the premises of the Interior Ministry in Port Said, in anticipation of angry reactions following the verdict. Meanwhile, the Cairo-based Ultras Ahlawy has threatened to spread chaos if justice is not served. Hundreds of them had already congregated near the Ahly Club in Cairo ahead of the verdict. A full security plan was deployed ahead of the anticipated ruling in today's session. Defendants did not show up at the court, as a security measure, a source told Al-Masry Al-Youm. The security plan includes the deployment of 2,000 soldiers around the Police Academy where the court session will be held, as well as on the roads leading to it in Cairo and around vital state institutions, Gamal Abdel Aal, head of Criminal Investigations in Cairo, told Al-Masry Al-Youm.
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225 |
2013-03-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/update-efa-police-club-fire-injures-15
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The number of people injured in the fire at the Egyptian Football Association and the Police Club in Gezira has risen to 15, according to Ambulance Authority head Mohamed Sultan. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Sultan said that the injured suffered from bruises, abrasions, burns and smoke inhalation, though he added that none of the injuries were serious. Sultan added that the ambulance authority was on high alert and had stationed more ambulances downtown and near the ministries. Members of the Ultras Ahlawy had gathered in front of the Ahly Club headquarters in Gezira two hours after the Port Said Criminal Court had handed down a verdict acquitting 28 defendants in the Port Said case. Though the court upheld the death sentences of 21 other defendants and sentenced five others to life, angry Ultras Ahlawy members started attacking the EFA and the Gezira Police Club. Two military helicopters were deployed in Cairo to help contain fires at Egyptian Football Association and Police Club, which were set by Ultras Ahlawy members earlier today, the military spokesperson said on his Facebook page. Tharwat Seleem, a top official at the Egyptian Football Association, also said that all the original trophies won by Egypt in various football competitions were stolen. Seleem added, according to MENA, that the trophies were stolen before members of Ultras set fire to the EFA's building in Gezira. However, Seleem didn't elaborate on how many trophies were stolen from the EFA. Dozens of Ultras Ahlawy members marched from Mohamed Mahmoud Street to the High Court, chanting "the people want the execution of the field marshal" and "Interior Ministry members are thugs." Ultras members briefly blocked trains at the Sadat metro stop, but movement resumed shortly thereafter. All streets leading to the Interior Ministry in downtown Cairo were blocked off, and the Armed Forces were deployed around the Cabinet and Parliament buildings on Qasr al-Aini Street. Egypt's navy on Saturday reinforced its presence throughout the Suez Canal after protesters in Port Said stopped ferries from Port Said to Port Fouad. Earlier Reuters reported that protesters untied moored speedboats used to supply shipping on the Suez Canal. The new measures by the Armed Forces came as a new wave of anger washed over Port Said after the death sentences against 21 local residents in the Port Said football violence case were upheld by a court Saturday. Unknown attackers smashed glass windows in front of the Masry Club and used wooden benches inside to block 23 July Street. Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Ahmed Aref described the reactions of the defendants' families as "unreasonable." Aref told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the ruling in not final and could be challenged before the Court of Cassation. He also added that the Brotherhood respects judicial rulings and that whoever rejects them should take the right procedures. Sobhy Saleh, a Shura Council member representing the Freedom and Justice Party, said the ruling is normal and that judicial rulings shouldn't be commented on, as this would amount to interference. Saleh also told Al-Masry Al-Youm that reactions from the defendants' families are "normal," but added that they do not have to start a crisis and that there should be no attempts to react violently.
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226 |
2013-03-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/update-two-confirmed-dead-during-clashes-near-corniche
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The Health Ministry confirmed the death of two protesters during clashes with police on the Nile Corniche nearby Qasr al-Nil Bridge in downtown Cairo on Saturday. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Mohamed Sultan, head of Egypt's Ambulance Authority told the privately-owned ONtv satellite channel that one of the victims passed away while being treated for suffocation from tear gas. The other victim, according to the Health Ministry, is 20-years-old and died from a birdshot in his neck. The families of both victims demanded from the police to take the dead bodies of their deceased sons, but the prosecution insisted that autopsies are conducted first. Protesters marched to the morgue where autopsies were to take place. Meanwhile, one child had also reportedly suffered a bullet wound to the head during clashes on the Corniche downtown. Protesters were waiting on Saturday for ambulances to transport the victim to a hospital, while news spread that he was already dead. Sultan said that ambulances had responded to nine more cases of suffocation during the clashes. Different Egyptian news outlets have reported birdshot being used during the clashes around the downtown Cairo area. Dozens of protesters hurled stones at the Semiramis Intercontinental Hotel on the Corniche road until Saturday evening. State-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported on its website that protesters damaged the hotel's exterior and gates. Others blocked traffic on the road to protest police officers' use of birdshot to disperse protesters. The liberal Wafd Party's official newspaper had reported that police were using birdshot to prevent protesters from storming the hotel. Meanwhile, firefighters put out a small blaze at the Qasr al-Dobara school at Simon Bolivar Square. No causalities were reported. The clashes had earlier erupted between protesters and police near the British Embassy on the Corniche amid widespread unrest in the city after the Port Said Criminal Court issued a verdict acquitting 28 defendants in the Port Said football massacre case, where 72 football fans were killed after a match between Cairo's Ahly club and Port Said's Masry turned violent last year. Seven of those acquitted Saturday were police officers, and only two police officers were found guilty. Ultras Ahlawy, of whom many were killed in the Port Said attack, had threatened two days ago to take retribution into their own hands if the court failed to bring the perpetrators of the massacre to justice.
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227 |
2013-03-10
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/former-brotherhood-leader-urges-trial-morsy
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Former Deputy Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Habib said President Mohamed Morsy should be brought to trial for deaths of protesters over the past few days. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); "As long as we were able to bring Mubarak to trial, it's necessary then to bring the military council for trial for the victims who were killed under its rule, and hence Mohamed Morsy should be brought to trial for the [...] victims who were [recently] killed," Habib said during a talk show aired on the satellite TV channel MBC Masr on Saturday. Violence between police and protesters calling for civil disobedience against Morsy's rule have been sweeping the nation, leading to a number of casualties. Over 40 people were killed in Port Said and Suez during clashes that began at the end of January, while in Port Said an ongoing "civil disobedience" campaign has entered its third week. The protests and clashes started after a court sentenced 21 defendants to death over their role in the murders of 72 Ahly Club fans after a match in Port Said in February 2012. On Sunday, a court reaffirmed the death sentences and sentenced five more defendants to life in prison, while acquitting another 28. The Sunday rulings reignited anger among both Ultras Ahlawy members in Cairo and defendants' supporters in Port Said. Clashes between protesters and police rocked Cairo's Tahrir Square, with protesters accusing the Interior Ministry of using live ammunition against protesters. The police have denied using live ammunition, saying they were only armed with tear gas and sound bombs.
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228 |
2013-03-10
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/interior-minister-decries-rumors-media-attacks-police
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Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); has decried what he called as continuous rumors and media attacks against police services, saying his officers have been working under severe pressure and have been unable to respond to assaults. The minister reiterated that policemen are maintaining self-restraint, adding that the officers are suffering moral pressures, unable to respond to assaults. He warned that ongoing pressures might lead policemen to lose control over their actions at any time. "My officers are human beings after all," he stated, adding that he understands the rage of striking police officers and personally shares their feelings. Several Central Security Forces camps and police departments have gone on strike demanding the removal of Ibrahim and better armament in face of assailers. He accused the media of waging relentless attacks on the police services and painting a bloody image of policemen. He noted that he plans to sue independent Al-Fajr daily newspaper over fake reports that the ministry had imported tear gas from Iran. "Some claim that we have been using nerve gas and other internationally banned substances. We use tear gas to repel protesters, for if we get into direct contact, there will be human losses," Ibrahim said in a news conference Sunday. "We have not fired a single bullet since 25 January." Ibrahim said his ministry has nothing to do with regime-opposition conflicts and added that it is only carrying on its security duties. He called on political groups to withdraw protesters from the streets so security forces can recognize "thugs and saboteurs." He also commented on attacks by hardcore football fan group Ultras Ahlawy Saturday, saying 3,000 of them "barbarically" stormed the Police Club near the Ahly Football Club while women and children were inside, causing more than LE50 million in losses. They also ransacked the nearby Egyptian Football Association, stealing LE6 million in property, he said. He stressed that the Armed Forces cannot replace security services in Egypt, saying the Second Army commander had earlier admitted this during a news conference. Military forces have replaced police around the Port Said Security Directorate in the wake of weeks of clashes between police and protesters enraged by a court ruling sentencing 21 people to death for the murder of 72 people in the city's football stadium last year. "Everybody should ask if he wants policemen around or not. If all people say we don't, we will leave," Ibrahim said.
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229 |
2013-03-10
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/port-said-sees-relative-calm-after-contentious-verdict
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A day after an Egyptian court confirmed the death sentences of 21 Port Said civilians found guilty of causing Egypt's worst sporting disaster, Port Said remains relatively calm - in stark contrast with the past fortnight, which saw dozens killed. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Ahead of the verdict's announcement on Saturday, the streets of Port Said were as empty as they used to be on the nights of important football matches. But this time, people were not huddled around their television sets in anticipation of the results of a match. Rather, they waited to hear the fate of 73 defendants accused of killing Ahly Club fans in a match last year in Port Said stadium. The Ultras Green Eagles, Port Said's main football ultras group, and other city residents who were gathered to hear the sentence in a cafe stood up in a tense silence when the television showed the judge taking the podium. People screamed in disbelief and fell into their chairs as the judge started by announcing 21 death sentences. The screams and insults continued as he proceeded to announce the rest of the sentences ranging between life sentences 15 years, 5 years, one year and, finally, 21 acquittals. The Green Eagles groups knew most of the defendants personally; one of them yelled back the correct name of one of those sentenced to death at the television after the judge mispronounced it. Despite the anger, the protests that unfolded throughout the day rejecting the verdict were remarkably peaceful save for a few minor and harmless incidents. The verdicts were expected to trigger a blood bath after the initial death sentences announced by the judge last month led to days of violence, resulting in at least 43 deaths. Protesters said that their maintaining peace despite the upsetting news is proof that it's the Interior Ministry and not the protesters that are the cause of the violence. Their claim is further supported by a 14-day sit-in and civil disobedience campaign that went peacefully until police arrived at the scene. Following deadly clashes that had renewed last week between protesters and police, all police forces were evacuated from Port Said last night, leaving only military forces. With a unanimous determination among Port Said residents not to clash with the Armed Forces, whom they historically have a special bond with, they voiced their anger through peaceful marches around the city. The extent of the violence occurred when protesters entered the port overlooking the Suez Canal, realizing it was the city's most attention-grabbing site, and set tires on fire. No further escalations occurred, and coordination with military forces monitoring the situation was maintained at all times. When they started gathering around the local Interior Ministry building now secured by the Armed Forces, a military officer talked the crowd into moving their march away. They complied, cheering for the military and repeating that the regime will not succeed in causing a rift between the people and the military. Many across the city relayed the feeling that, once again, Port Said was being used as a scapegoat to appease the Ultras Ahlawy crowd and get the police off with lighter sentences, repeating: "[President] Mohamed Morsy sacrificed one governorate to save the other 26." "We will not object if they give death sentences to those who are proven to have killed people, at the end of the day those who were killed are our brothers, but we don't accept innocent people to take the blame for it just because they are not powerful," said Alaa Darwish, a green grocer. The acquittals of some of the police officers accused in the case and the decision not sentence any of them to death increased people's anger across the city, as many blame the police for last year's massacre. Some even believe that the police orchestrated the massacre to punish the Ultras Ahlawy for their participation in the revolution. Residents of Port Said spoke of defendants who received death sentences when they weren't even at the match, of underage innocent football fans who were dealt harsh sentences with no evidence of wrongdoing on their part and of strange infiltrators who were seen in the match and did not make it to the court room. Other residents even played out conspiracy theories that had the state and the Ultras Ahlawy working in tandem against Port Said. Some protesters, however, were not as concerned with the verdict as they were with getting retribution for their own victims who fell in clashes with police. "Fine, we accept this verdict, and now we want the right of our dead. If this sentence gave [the ultras] justice, we want justice too," said merchant Sayed Khattab.
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230 |
2013-03-10
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/sunday-s-papers-fire-and-drama-cairo
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With dramatic headlines, today's newspapers agonized over the fires and violence that spread throughout Cairo and beyond following the verdict pronounced on the Port Said football massacre. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The massacre, where 72 Ahly Club fans were killed in a match between their team and Port Said's Al-Masry Club, resulted in 73 people being put on trial. Of them, 21 were sentenced to death, five received life sentences and 28 were acquitted, with the rest receiving various sentences. Only two out of nine policemen accused in the case were given sentences, while the rest was acquitted, to the fury of some Ahly football fans. "Burning Egypt" is the privately-owned Al-Shorouk's headline of choice. "The second Cairo fire" was the privately-owned Al-Sabah's headline, reminding readers of the first Cairo fire of 1952, which destroyed several state institutions in the midst of heightened anti-British occupation sentiments. Both papers' coverage is more descriptive than prescriptive, saying only that the ultras' anger has spread in Cairo and Port Said following a verdict that was less than satisfactory for both sides. But tidbits of politics show in the coverage, albeit subtly. Al-Shorouk's lead reads, "The anger of the ultras leads to the burning of public institutions in Cairo, while the anger of Port Said threatens the Suez Canal. The policemen continue their strikes in the meantime and the Brothers look into forming a 'private sector' police." In fact, Al-Shorouk is the only one to make a reference to Saber Abouel Fotouh, a member of the Freedom and Justice Party, and his statement about a possible law to be passed by the Shura Council to allow private security companies to replace the striking policemen in filling the security gap. Abouel Fotouh said that although the Armed Forces have some powers of arrest approved by the Parliament, "We don't want to keep them busy with domestic issues. Another headline in the same newspaper reads, "Crowds of ultras invade Cairo and the army puts out the fire." The mention of the army refers to the fact that the Armed Forces did sent helicopters to put down the fire that erupted in the Egyptian Football Association and the Police Club, both near the Ahly Club, where crowds congregated ahead of the verdict. But the reference figuratively brings up scattered talk about a military takeover to put an end to the Brotherhood's ruling failures, a possibility deemed desirable for a few and yet remote for many. Less subtle is the coverage of partisan papers like that of the daily Al-Wafd, the mouthpiece of the veteran liberal party. "Where is Morsy?" figures in bigger Arabic red letters on top of its front page, in reference to President Mohamed Morsy. And for the daily privately-owned Al-Watan, it's even personal. "Hatred burns Egypt and the regime is content with praying." For Al-Watan, it's personal because the newspaper's premises were attacked on Saturday by unknown assailants, who set fire to the first floor and destroyed the second. The story figures on top of today's front page, whereby Al-Watan claims that the attack was organized by Morsy's regime. The paper said that when its journalists asked Presidential Spokesperson Ihab Fahmy about the attack, the latter responded by asking, "Is this a question to be addressed to the presidency, and is the presidency expected to have an answer?" But life is good for the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice daily. Justice is served and all problems are/will be solved, according to the paper. The newspaper's front page details the verdict focusing on those convicted (21 death sentences, five life sentences, 15 years for the head of the Security Directorate), while failing to mention the 28 found innocent. Meanwhile, and ahead of the Port Said news, the paper reports about a map of gas stations that will be focal points for natural gas 24 hours a day, in response to mounting disenchantment with the missing gas across the nation. The front page also makes space for other positive news, such as the youth of the Brotherhood organizing volunteers-based illiteracy classes and Freedom and Justice daily celebrating its 500th edition. Less nonchalant coverage is found in the state-run Al-Ahram daily, whose editor, Abdel Nasser Salama, runs a front page interview with Muslim Brotherhood leader and Shura Council Speaker Ahmad Fahmy. In a self-defensive statement, Fahmy tells Salama that "no political party on its own can handle the responsibility in Egypt. The Freedom and Justice Party is a not a ruling party and it didn't take its chance up until now." Egypt's papers: Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party Youm7: Daily, privately owned Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned Al-Sabah: Daily, privately owned Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party
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231 |
2013-03-10
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-divided-cairo-fire
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"Are you from the ultras?" asked one of the Ahly club football fans in a reserved manner, amid roaring crowds gathering in front of the club on Saturday afternoon, following the Port Said massacre verdict. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); "Yes. Ultras of Shubra. Why are you asking?" "Because I can see you running around, burning things. Did you not hear our capos (leaders) saying that the ruling is satisfactory until now; let's go so that violence doesn't spread?" "The capos can say whatever they want to say. The ruling today did not give the death sentence to the policemen of the Interior Ministry. That way, nothing happened." This conversation between two members of the Cairo football team fans took place hours after the Port Said Criminal Court confirmed the death sentence of 21 defendants accused of killing 72 Ahly fans after a game turned violent last year in the Suez Canal city. The court found seven of nine policemen accused in the case innocent, while two senior officers got 15 years in jail and a life sentence, including the former head of the Port Said Security Directorate. The seven officers are among 28 defendants found innocent. The stringent Ultras Ahlawy, one of the main fan groups of the Ahly Club, had posted on its Facebook page before the verdict that if the ruling was postponed, chaos will spread in the country, main roads will be blocked and public agencies will be closed. If policemen are found innocent in the case, the post continued, the Ministry of Interior would be occupied and completely burned down. But following the verdict, the leaders of the ultras promptly asked their followers not to push for violence. They said that the ruling was relatively satisfactory and that the country is going through a difficult moment. They also said there should be respect for the mothers of those killed in the Port Said massacre and who asked for no violence following the verdict so that no more victims would fall. The resort to violence yesterday however showcased a certain division within Ultras Ahlawy, with many followers expressing shock at the rather passive position of their leaders. "The capos' position is not understandable. The moment we heard that the death sentence for 21 defendants was confirmed, we cheered. But when we heard the policemen were found innocent, there was a state of disappointment and confusion in our ranks. We asked ourselves, what should be the next step," said Mohamed Abdel Alim, 20, a member of the group. "To hell with the capos. I think many of them will go back in their decision," he added. Mahmoud Allam, 18, agreed with him on the disappointment from the rulings. "The ruling is not satisfactory at all. Seven policemen are found innocent. Where is justice? Where is the death sentence for these policemen and their collaborators in the massacre? We should have gone to the Interior Ministry and taken revenge for our friends." As Egypt Independent was interviewing Allam, smoke could be seen coming out of the premises of the Egyptian Football Association and the Police Club, both near the Ahly Club in the Gezira area of central Cairo, where thousands of ultras congregated ahead of the verdict. The violence started worrying some among those gathering, including the mother of Mohamed Ashraf, who was one of the 72 ultras killed in Port Said during the massacre. "Enough victims. I don't want to see another mother in pain. The ruling is not satisfactory but I don't want the youth of the ultras who stood by us all that time clash with police and drop dead." When the smoke appeared, there was confusion about who started the fire among the ultras. A fan, Ahmad Zeidan, 24, said that it was indeed members of the ultras who were behind the fire. "The problem with the ultras lies in their divisions. There is a big gap inside the group between the 17 and 18-year olds and the 25-year olds. The younger groups are more impulsive and couldn't take the ruling as it is." "I see the ruling as satisfactory," he continued. "This is the first time the head of a security directorate gets a jail sentence in all cases of killing protesters since the revolution started. Also the ruling is just initial and can be appealed, in which case, others can also be convicted." In order to avoid rumors and divisions, the Facebook administrators of Ultras Ahlawy were quick to write on their page an hour after the fires started. "What's happening now in Cairo is the beginning of wrath. Wait for more if not all of those responsible for the massacre are revealed. We won't be satisfied with rulings limited to those who were paid to execute the crime and only two of the dogs of the Interior Ministry."
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232 |
2013-03-11
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/after-verdict-tense-calm-port-said
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On Saturday, the Port Said Criminal Court confirmed the death sentence of 21 defendants accused of killing 72 Ahly fans after a game turned violent last year in the Suez Canal city. The court found seven of nine policemen accused in the case innocent, while two senior officers got 15 years in jail and a life sentence, including the former head of the Port Said Security Directorate. The seven officers are among 28 defendants found innocent. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Before the verdict, the city was tense as residents anxiously waited to hear the fate of the accused. In the days leading up to the ruling, violent clashes ensued between protesters and security forces amid the city's almost month-long civil disobedience campaign. Police forces pulled out and were replaced by military forces, and a relative calm prevailed with residents, adamant on not clashing with the army. As the ruling was read out early Saturday, anger erupted among shocked residents as the judge confirmed the 21 death penalties. But the protests that followed were surprisingly peaceful, and a far cry from the bloodshed and violence the city saw the first time the death sentences were read out last month, resulting in more than 40 deaths. Protesters entered the port overlooking the Suez Canal and set tires on fire, but no further escalations occurred. When they approached the local Interior Ministry, army officers on site convinced them to march away peacefully. Masry Ultras gathered in a cafe in Port Said to watch the annoucement on TV of the final verdict of the case of the Port Said football massacre. An army officer is feted by a group of protesters who say that the Armed Forces will bring stability and safety to Port Said. Army supporters shouting at an Al Jazeera broadcast being showed from the Palace Hotel balcony in Port Said, angry that the channel blames the Armed Forces for the recent clashes in Port Said. Smoke rises from fires set by protesters in an attempt to block boats from docking in the Suez Canal after the final verdict is announced in the Port Said football trial. Young people watch tires burning beside the Suez Canal. Young people watch tires burning beside the Suez Canal. A crowd watches the coast guard trying to extinguish the fire set by Port Said protesters. Many shops in Port Said remain close as residents press a civil disobedience campaign, ongoing for at least two weeks to protest the city's marginalization by the central government and to demand justice for more than 40 protesters killed in clashes with the police since 26 January. Many shops in Port Said remain close as residents press a civil disobedience campaign, ongoing for at least two weeks to protest the city's marginalization by the central government and to demand justice for more than 40 protesters killed in clashes with the police since 26 January.
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233 |
2013-03-11
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/egypt-zimbabwe-football-match-be-played-time
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Issa Hayatou, head of the Confederation of African Football told Hassan Farid, the vice president of the Egyptian Football Association, that a World Cup qualifier match between Egypt and Zimbabwe will be played on 26 March at Borg al-Arab stadium, as scheduled. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Hayatou also expressed disappointment and solidarity over incidents that took place at the Egyptian Football Association, when several Ultras Ahlawy members set fire to the Police Club and the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association, located in the Gezira area of Zamalek. They were protesting the acquittal of some defendants involved in Port Said stadium massacre that took place in February 2012. The Egyptian team, known as the Pharaohs, has six points in Group G after beating Mozambique and Guinea. Zimbabwe has only one point from two matches against Mozambique and Guinea. Egypt hasn't qualified for the world Cup since 1990. Edited translation from MENA
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234 |
2013-03-11
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/monday-s-papers-demons-and-horse-carts
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Monday's papers are full of news regarding the microbus drivers' strike, which has affected a number of governorates. Also making headlines is news of the diesel shortages, which have resulted in traffic congestion and protests, as well as protests and clashes in Cairo and other governorates googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Additionally, headlines report ongoing police strike, which began five days ago and appears to be spreading across the country as officers and policemen protest against a perceived politicization of the Interior Ministry and to demand more firearms. Amid all the unrest, the prosecutor general spoke Sunday of authorizing citizens' arrests. This controversial announcement comes as Islamist forces have been talking about establishing "militias" to police Egypt's streets, while others have mentioned the use of private security companies. Privately owned Al-Sabah newspaper refers to the microbus driver by their nickname, running a headline reading "demons of the asphalt go on strike and paralyze country," while adding that "commuters resort to riding horse-drawn carts." Following a similar theme, privately owned Al-Tahrir's headline reads "diesel uprising ... the horse-drawn cart is the solution," while running a photo of commuters riding an overloaded cart through Cairo's streets. In Al-Watan Newspaper, "Mircobus revolution ... day of traffic congestion in Egypt's streets." The paper also mentions that the striking drivers "block off roads and railways in protest over diesel shortages," and also says that "one man [was] killed in clashes over diesel at gas station queue in Gharbiya Governorate." In other news, Ultras Ahlawy members continued to protest for a second day Sunday in light of a court verdict in the case pertaining to the deadly Port Said Stadium Riot of February 2012 Saturday that acquitted 28 defendants. "Street battles between ultras and police in Mahalla, protesters besiege the city's second police station" reads a headline in Al-Tahrir, while the Wafd Party's daily reports that "ultras block off 6th of October Bridge." Al-Wafd also publishes a photo of a protester's body, identified as Khaled Mustafa, lying on the street with blood oozing from his head onto the asphalt; the article mentions that Mustafa was shot with a lead bullet in the head. "Bloody clashes in Tahrir" and "Two martyrs and tens of others injured in clashes between protesters and police along the Nile cornice," the paper adds, citing protesters' claims that police forces may be using a lethal gas - along with the normal tear gas - to disperse protesters. Meanwhile, those policemen not busy cracking down on protesters appear to be gravitating towards a general strike within the Interior Ministry. "Police's civil disobedience spreads and Islamists prepare their militias" to fill the security void, reads a header in Al-Sabah. This paper also mentions that "Twenty police stations and seven Central Security Forces' camps in [greater] Cairo are now on strike." Estimates suggest that over 80 police stations and more than 10 CSF camps have been on a nationwide strike since Friday - a work stoppage reportedly involving thousands of policemen, officers and conscripts. State-run Al-Akhbar, quoting the interior minister, runs a headline saying, "If the police falls then the state has fallen" and "Army cannot fill the role of security forces." Conversely, Al-Wafd says, "Police in confrontation to prevent the Brotherhoodization of the Interior Ministry." In the Muslim Brotherhood's mouthpiece Freedom and Justice newspaper, the headline reads, "Egypt is enraged: By the fires of the counter-revolution and the blocking of roads." Another headline in this Islamist paper, citing the Islamist-dominated upper house of Parliament, reads, "Shura Council warns of organized violence ... calls on prosecution to take actions against thugs." In state-run Al-Akhbar, whose recently-appointed editorial staff also hail from the Brotherhood, a front-page headline reads, "Holy Quran: They destroy their abodes with their own hands." Al-Akhbar runs a caricature to accompany this headline, with a drawing of "Mother Egypt" looking down on an urban setting as it burns around her - producing thick black clouds. It's not certain why there's not another caricature of "Mother Egypt" trying to put out the flames instead of merely looking gloomily towards the ground. Also in Al-Akhbar, a headline pertaining to Prosecutor General Talaat Abdallah, who was hand-picked by President Mohamed Morsy last year says "Prosecution grants civilians right to conduct citizen's arrests against criminals and vandals." This article mentions that Abdallah controversially authorized citizen's arrests in cases where civilians noticed that a crime was being committed; encouraging civilians to "arrest those caught red-handed in criminal acts" and "to hand them over" to authorities (police station or prosecutors' offices) while also encouraging them to file "official reports against these criminal elements." Abdallah's controversial announcement comes amidst proclamations and efforts by Islamist groups such as Jama'a al-Islamiya to police the streets, particularly in Upper Egypt, using militias in light of the ongoing police strike, while others suggest a return to "popular committees" patrolling neighborhoods or resorting to private security companies. Al-Watan runs a headline saying, "Military source: We've run out of patience with the Islamists, and will not tolerate the presence of armed militias," while Al-Tahrir says, "Morsy's general prosecutor grants right of citizen's arrest against other citizens," along with another headline reading, "Judges: This will lead every faction to establish an armed wing." Egypt's papers: Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party Youm7: Daily, privately owned Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned Al-Sabah: Daily, privately owned Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party
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235 |
2013-03-13
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/38-ultras-ahlawy-members-arrested-monufiya-court-storming-attempt
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Thirty-eight members of the Ultras Ahlawy were arrested in Monufiya Wednesday for attempting to storm the Shibin al-Kom courthouse to free a colleague remanded into custody for 15 days. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Around 1,500 fans surrounded the court, throwing stones and fireworks at security forces, which responded with tear gas. Meanwhile, the group claimed they had been attacked, beaten and dragged by security forces during a peaceful protest at the courthouse in a post on its Facebook page. Organizers added that police often make false accusations against protesters and detainees. Unnamed security officials told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the clashes were limited. Those arrested are being questioned by the Public Prosecution. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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236 |
2013-03-13
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/divisions-among-police-result-intermittent-strike-action
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On Sunday afternoon, Mohamed Emeira, investigations assistant at Qasr al-Nil Police Station, stood some 500 meters from ongoing clashes between protesters and Central Security Forces on the Nile Corniche. He began organizing police lines and assigning security tasks, signaling an end to their strike. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); "Let's get back to work. All the drivers of patrol cars get behind the wheel once again and protection teams head back to your positions. I do not want to see a policeman outside the station," Emeira barked. Egypt's security forces appear to have returned to the streets a week after intermittent and unorganized strikes by police and the CSF across parts of the country grabbed media headlines. According to media reports, about 60 police stations and 10 CSF camps had taken part. Local media, however, sensationalized the strikes, exaggerating the numbers and scope of the strike action. Based on conversations Egypt Independent had with leaders from the various striking groups, police officers and non-commissioned policemen were divided in their demands and often tenuously organized. The strikes came amid widespread unrest and violence, and an ongoing and unheeded civil disobedience movement in Port Said. On 6 March, CSF troops in Ismailia refused to deploy to Port Said to relieve colleagues days after violent police-protester clashes left at least five people dead and hundreds more injured. Calls for escalation spread among police ranks as stations in greater Cairo and Lower Egypt began shutting their doors on 7 March. More police stations in Upper Egypt and CSF camps in Sinai and Suez Canal cities followed suit. Following a highly contentious court verdict on 9 March - which saw the death sentences of 21 civilians confirmed in relation to the Port Said Stadium disaster, while only two police officers received prison sentences - groups of Ultras Ahlawy members set fire to the Police Club and the Egyptian Football Association headquarters, both in Cairo. The past few months have seen many protests target security directorates and police stations across Lower Egypt, indicative of mounting pressure for justice against police violations and substantial ministry reforms. "It's the media that has spoiled the image of police officers in the public eye," Emeira told Egypt Independent. "But today, we have ended our strike to prove to the people that we are patriotic and love our country. We want to show them we do not have so-called factional demands. Our issues are functional ones." The groups on strike have expressed a common grievance, namely that they refuse to be swept up in political games between the government and protesters. Growing discontent from within the Interior Ministry's ranks has resulted in several apparent breakdowns and five successive ministers attempt unsuccessfully to get the police apparatus back on its feet. But there have been no substantial changes since the 18-day uprising, and police continue to violently suppress protests. Since November, when relations between an intransigent Brotherhood presidency and the opposition spiraled downward, about 70 people have been killed in clashes with the police, rights groups estimate. Yet Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim - who faces heated criticism for the rise in protester causalities, torture cases and illegal detentions at the hands of the police - continues to vilify protesters and victimize the police. The scope of the strikes While it is difficult to gauge the impact or scale of the strikes, it is problematic to refer to recent work stoppages as a general police strike. Media pundits referred to the strikes as the first since the 1986 CSF strike, which was staged in protest against mistreatment inside their camps. But no entire sector within the ministry's 37 departments adhered to the action. The past fortnight saw a handful of police stations and CSF camps - belonging to sectors that deal directly with protesters - go on strike. Even with these departments, however, the scope of the strike was limited, with a total of 8,000 out of 300,000 CSF officers and conscripts taking part. This, in part, is due to the lack of a police federation or body that effectively unifies police officers and other ranks. The strikes in fact were discontinuous and haphazardly networked. Ahmed Abdel Monsef, a policeman in Assiut and coordinator for the 7 March Officers Movement, named for the day they began striking, claimed to have initiated strike calls. He said strikers across Egypt communicated via telephone or Facebook, which makes it difficult to accurately determine the numbers that participated. "We first thought about the strike weeks ago on Facebook, when I was discussing the idea with two of my colleagues," he stated. Abdel Monsef said the highest-ranking policeman was a lieutenant colonel. "The police stations decided to strike one after the other - it was a domino effect. We put the idea to discussion and policemen responded," he said. The current goal of the 7 March movement, he explained, is to create a state of mobility among police officers, which will take time. But not all those who seek to build a network among police officers are on board. Lieutenant Colonel Ashraf al-Banna, who earlier proposed the establishment of an officers' federation, flatly rejected the idea. "Even though I was suspended for three months after I called for the establishment of a syndicate for officers, I reject the idea of going on strike," he said. "How can a police station go on strike? Where is societal responsibility? I called for setting up a union to regulate the relationship between the ministry and officers. So how can I ignore all that and call for strike?" he asked. Organizational woes On 7 March, the striking police officers issued demands, including the dismissal of the interior minister and the endorsement of a new salary system. They also made calls to be left out of politics and to return to fighting crime. Abdel Monsef argued the interior minister has thrust police into politics. "He sometimes orders the [CSF] to break up industrial protests and has them confront protesters opposed to the president. This drags us back to the pre-revolution scenario, when the government resorted to security solutions and violence instead of political or administrative solutions," he said. He added that former Interior Minister Ahmed Gamal Eddin was able to distinguish between political and criminal work, stressing he did not serve a particular administration. At a news conference following the suspension of the strikes, Ibrahim, defending himself against internal and external criticism, claimed that only 5 percent of officers within the ministry wanted his resignation. There is truly no general consensus within the ministry, due in part to the gap between low and intermediate-ranking policemen and the higher ranks. Even within the same ranks there are disputes over salary discrepancies. "The 7 March movement wants a fair compensation system," Abdel Monsef stated. "It is not fair to have two officers who have the same rank get different salaries just because one of them works for a department that has better financial resources. Salary differences create sensitivities." Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Meshaly, former coordinator for the General Coalition of Police Officers, expressed reservations about the tactics and demands of the 7 March movement. He argued the main problem is organizational. Meshaly blamed former Interior Minister Mahmoud Wagdy, the first to assume the post after the uprising, for abolishing military trials for officers. He said this led to chaos, with officers failing to be punctual and higher-ranking officials unable to exercise full control. "What does it mean for police to refuse to secure a public establishment? Most of the protests are staged in front of the presidential palace or governorate security directorates. As a policeman, you are required to fulfill your duty, and by doing so you are not serving the regime of [President Mohamed] Morsy or any other," said Meshaly. This piece was originally published in Egypt Independent's weekly print edition.
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2013-03-13
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/zamalek-ultras-block-26-july-corridor
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googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The White Knights Ultras, a group of football fans supporting the Zamalek Club, announced they would block the 26 July corridor, which links Cairo with 6th of October City. The protest is in response to penalties imposed on the club after fans damaged Alexandria's Burg al-Arab Stadium. The ultras posted "White Knights Ultras block the 26 July Corridor. Escalation is ongoing," on its Facebook page Wednesday. In a statement on Tuesday, the ultras expressed anger against the Burg al-Arab Stadium administration for fining the club LE1.25 million for damage incurred on 17 February during an African Champions League game against Chad. The statement had called White Knights Ultras to gather Wednesday at 12 pm at Sphinx Square. Zamalek Club officials also received a letter from the Defense Ministry Tuesday saying fans would be unable to attend an upcoming football match against the Congolese AS Vita Club in the same stadium on Friday. Riots have plagued local and African football games since the January 2011 uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. The most infamous example was the match between Ahly and Al-Masry in February 2012 in Port Said. Al-Masry fans stormed the pitch and the Ahly fans' section of the bleachers. The riot killed over 70 people. Competition in the nation's Premiere League resumed last month with matches being played on fields belonging to the Armed Forces. Fans have been barred indefinitely from attending. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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238 |
2013-03-14
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/breaking-morsy-promises-compensate-victims-port-said-violence
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A presidential spokesperson said Thursday that families of those killed in recent Port Said violence would be compensated financially. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Social communications advisor Emad Abdel Ghafour said Morsy had agreed to help during a meeting with Port Said families earlier Thursday at the Ettehadiya Presidential Palace in Heliopolis. The news comes as another Port Said resident died in hospital Wednesday due to inhalation of tear gas during protests. Clashes sparked in the canal city last January following the sentencing of 21 defendants to death for their part in a football massacre last year that killed more than 70 people. Abdel Ghafour told Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr Thursday that Morsy promised to support these families with monthly payments similar to stipends provided to families of the over 900 killed during the 2011 revolution. However, people convicted of inciting violence or vandalism would not receive aid. A number of victims' families had already rejected the offer to talk and described participating in the Thursday meeting as "treason." Abdel Ghafour added the administration may form a committee of Ahlawy Ultras and Masrawy Ultras to study the issue further. He also said Morsy had approved the creation of a committee of political parties to monitor upcoming elections to guarantee free and fair polls. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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239 |
2013-03-14
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/children-revolution-youth-wage-street-battles
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As the firing of a tear gas canister signaled the renewal of clashes on Qasr al-Nil Bridge, two 15-year-olds stood close to the front line in their school uniforms and backpacks. They didn't budge, even as passers-by ran away from the rising gas. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Standing their ground, they explained that they come to the site of the clashes every day after school. They said they do so for the sake of the revolution - and if they die, they will be martyrs. Since January, protesters and police have engaged in intermittent battles just off this iconic bridge, at the start of the typically tranquil Garden City Nile Corniche. The sporadic clashes have turned deadly some nights. Still, the site has become something of an after-school hangout for many children and young teenagers, who were in a common lesson-skipping drive and rigid classrooms' escapade. In a way, the clashes became a site for an anti-system of some sort. Along with some street children, they spend most of the day engaging in confrontations with security forces. This particular demographic is not entirely new to the scene. The street children and school-age kids - some as young as 7 - who are involved in the Nile Corniche clashes have joined older protesters and activists in similar battles with security forces in the two years since the 2011 uprising. Now, in the absence of older protesters, these children dominate the scene, facing dangers unthinkable for their young age. Despite attempts to use the same big words they've heard older revolutionaries speak, their answers reflect both innocence and utter oblivion to the severity of the life-threatening risks they take just by being in the area. Their mixed motivations for returning daily to the front line ranges from feeling they have a unique and important role to play in protecting the revolution, and a less glorious, childish urge to be part of the exciting grown-up game of clashes. Every day, Karim Mohamed, a 15-year-old student, tells his parents that he's going to an Internet cafe. Instead, he heads to the Nile Corniche to engage in the clashes. Asked why he returns, he answered with a story. Karim used to play soccer downtown with his friends. One day, the ball was kicked far and one of them, Adel, went to get it. He was shot dead. "We just came here to play. We had no interest in protests and they shot him. How can anyone accept that?" he asked. And, much like the older generation still demanding retribution and justice, Karim asked, "Did we get Adel's rights? This is why I'm still here. When we get [justice for] Adel and all the martyrs that died after him, I will go home." He speaks with fiery enthusiasm, pride and a strong belief in the role that he and his peers can play in the revolution. He argues aggressively against anyone who undermines their significance due to their young age. As rocks are hurled from both sides, Karim overhears a passer-by calling those fighting on Qasr al-Nil "useless kids." Livid, he hits back, "Don't say useless. You are the useless one. You're standing here while those you call kids go in and fight." Another passer-by waves his hands dismissively, which deeply offends Karim. "Don't do that. You don't understand anything. You're just watching. Go watch on television - some of us here are trying to do something for the sake of God," he yells. Many children say the reason they've taken up the front-line fight is because grown-ups are too afraid now. They say this with no bitterness or sense of abandonment. They are convinced that, as children, they are more physically capable of enduring the strains of the clashes. "Can you put up with the tear gas?" Karim asks this Egypt Independent reporter. "When I run and pick up the tear gas canister and throw it in the Nile, am I not helping you?" Whether they are there for a higher purpose or to play a game, the choice of these kids to immerse themselves in such dangerous activities seems to be a direct result of the scenes they've had to witness prematurely. In the middle of one rock-throwing session between the two sides, 7-year-old Nada Tarek, who stands barely above knee level of most of the young crowd, runs around in a colorful galabeya, with gray pants and sneakers and disheveled hair. She collects rocks and gives them to the slightly older boys to throw at security forces. The daughter of a tea vendor in Tahrir Square, Nada says she is fighting because police arrested her brother. She wanted to fight for people's rights, and proceeded to insult the police with curse words that are often heard in clashes, but are also far beyond her years. Most of the children recount stories of people they've seen being run over by trucks or shot dead during intense clashes, or of children being arrested and beaten mercilessly by police. Many say this is what made them join the fight. Others say they can't leave until those who were arrested are released. Abdel Rahman, a 14-year-old student, saw a man killed when the clashes turned fatal Saturday. Witnessing this hardened his heart, he says. "One guy was shot next to me and I found blood gushing out of his chest," Abdel Rahman recalls. "I carried him to the ambulance, his blood dripping on my shirt." Mohamed Ali, 19, is a member of the Ultras Ahlawy who joined the clashes Saturday after the majority of policemen accused in the Port Said football violence case were acquitted. He says the younger generation was enticed to become active in clashes when they were made victims. "Those who were thrown off from the walls of the stadium, weren't they young too?" he asks, referring to the 72 football fans who died in the violence - the youngest of whom was 16-year-old Anas Mohey. Despite their young age and the horrors they've witnessed, there are no signs of fear on their faces. They firmly believe they can outrun any danger. But not all of the children involved in the fight have this strong sense of purpose. Some are upfront about the fact that they come with their friends to hang out. Others entertain themselves in between clashes by throwing rocks aimlessly at surrounding hotels and cars. The Semiramis Intercontinential Hotel has borne the brunt of this randomness. Another group cares less about which side they fight on than whether they get to take part in the action. On Sunday, 10-year-old Fares was seen throwing rocks at police and then sitting on the sidewalk among protesters to rest. He lives with his father and brother in Tahrir Square, and says he hasn't slept in two days because he wants to be with the people. The next day, Fares stood on the other side of the front line, milling around with police officers, in a common scene whereby the cops stand shielded by a line of kids aiding them with stone throwing. With a friendly demeanor toward Fares, one officer said these children are with the security forces every day. There are suspicions that the children are being used by different parties. During the clashes, there are always some children fighting on the side of the police. Occasionally, there are older people around attempting to stop them from speaking to the media. As fighting ensues, the scene is often surreal - more akin to a school play, where children take on roles occupied by grown-ups in real life. On an average day along the Nile Corniche, a young teenager walks around proudly wearing a Central Security Forces cap he's snatched during the clashes. Others walk around with black masks covering their faces. As for traffic along the main road, it's the children who decide when to let it flow and when to block it off. The flow of cars allows police to sneak up on them and arrest some, they say. Manning the middle of the street, some attempt to let cars drive through peacefully, while others decide to throw rocks at passing motorists because they sped by too fast, or resentfully, because they think these drivers should also be taking part in the protest. But the sense of acquiring power by derailing those attempting to drive to their offices or run errands, often rich urban dwellers and diplomats, judging from their cars, is visibly stimulating for the children. On Monday, Egypt Independent met 10-year-old Omar, who said he came to the clashes to help the revolution continue. A few minutes into the conversation, police reappear, and Omar rushes to collect a rock with one hand, keeping the other busy with his study guide book titled, ironically, "Silah al-Telmiz." The book, known to most Egyptians who went through the local educational system, roughly translates as "The Pupil's Weapon." This piece was originally published in Egypt Independent's weekly print edition.
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240 |
2013-03-15
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/friday-protests-against-morsy-poor-economy-sweep-nation
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Thousands across the nation took to the streets on Friday to protest against deteriorating economic conditions under the rule of President Mohamed Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); In Port Said, around 3,000 Ultras Masrawy staged a march on 23 July Street in the Monakh neighborhood, protesting the deadly clashes of 26 January 2013. They chanted slogans against Morsy and the televised speech he delivered Thursday evening, saying that his statement did not give any solutions to the problem. The protesters declared they would continue civil disobedience against the Morsy administration. They also denounced the delegation of Port Said residents that met with Morsy in Cairo on Thursday, putting their names on a banner and labeling them as traitors. Dozens of unemployed youth and revolutionary forces protested in Suez on Friday afternoon, taking to Arbaeen Square to demand more jobs and the sacking of the Suez governor. They chanted against Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood, saying, "Unemployment remains the same, down with the Brothers' authority." The protesters stressed they would continue to demonstrate until the goals of the revolution were achieved. In Alexandria, dozens protested in front of the Al-Qaed Ibrahim Mosque after Friday prayers, demanding the dissolution of Prime Minister Hisham Qandil's Cabinet. Protesters were divided into two marches. The first called for a national salvation government to run the country and to hold early presidential elections, while the second called for a military coup against Morsy. The second march headed to the northern military region, chanting,"The people want the army anew," and "The people and the army are one hand." In Gharbiya, dozens of activists staged a protest outside the governorate's headquarters in Shohada Square in Tanta to demand the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood, and to demand retribution for the death of activist Mohamed al-Gendy. CSF troops and armored vehicles were deployed in anticipation of potential violence. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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242 |
2013-03-17
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/sunday-s-papers-sohag-getaway
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President Morsy's visit to Sohag governorate was spread all over the daily newspapers Sunday. The state-owned flagship newspaper, Al-Ahram, focused on the development plans for Sohag and Upper Egypt that Morsy announced Saturday, with projects worth an estimated LE60 billion expected to create jobs for 2.5 million people. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Morsy was accompanied with Prime Minister Hesham Qandil and other officials. He held a cabinet meeting at the Sohag Governorate building, where he discussed the problems, services and requirements of Upper Egypt governorates. Morsy said that Upper Egypt had been deprived of many basic services under the former regime and that their demands are legitimate, according a lead in the state-owned Al Akhbar. Morsy confirmed his administration's obligation to providing support Upper Egypt during a speech at the indoor stadium in Sohag. He had pointed to many topics, including housing, unemployment, infrastructure and security during his visit. Morsy inaugurated new housing units and handed a number of citizens their new contracts. Meanwhile, the privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm highlighted how Morsy's visit was met with demonstrations in different parts of the city, and how the protests escalated into clashes between opposition and the Brotherhood youth and their backers. Clashes started between members of the Muslim Brotherhood and demonstrators, who carried an empty coffin wrapped in the Egyptian flag, as an expression of the death of Egypt under Brotherhood rule. Security forces used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, the commission supervising the visit cancelled Morsy's opening of a pasta factory owned by the Armed Forces, after it was reported that former President Hosni Mubarak inaugurated it five years ago. The paper also reports that the Ministry of Petroleum injected about 200 tons of diesel, during Morsy's visit to get rid of fuel queues at gas stations in the governorate. The daily of the opposition party Al-Wafd reported on striking bakers. Hundreds of bakery owners stormed the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade building on Qasr al-Aini Street in downtown Cairo, demanding to meet with the minister Bassem Kamal. Protestors came from several governorates, demanding delayed payment and rejecting the new system regulating bread. The ministry's security negotiated with the protesters, convincing them to stay away from the ministry building. The bakers agreed to postpone their strikes until Tuesday after meeting with the Minster of Supply, who was accompanying Morsy in his visit to Sohag. Al-Akhbar centered on the Ultras Ahlawy's protest at the High Court building in downtown Cairo. As the hardcore soccer fans' march started Saturday at Al-Ahly club in Gezira to the High Court demanding the release of members of the group who were detained in Monufiya governorate. Thirty-eight members of the ultras were arrested in Monufiya on Wednesday, following clashes with police at Shibin al-Kom court. On a different note, Al-Ahram pointed to the visit of a senior official with the International Monetary Fund to discuss issues that have delayed the US$4.8 billion loan, which is seen as a final lifeline to rescue Egypt. Page 2 of the paper says that the director for the Middle East and North Africa, Masood Ahmed, would visit Cairo on Sunday to discuss Egypt's economic program, as the government seeks an agreement. Securing aid would involve dedicated austerity measures that are likely to lead to increased unrest at a time when President Morsy is already struggling to maintain law and order. "Maghrabi, Garana, Makhlouf and Hazeq acquitted in Hurghada and Sokhna land [case]," Al-Masry Al-Youm reads on page 3. On Saturday, Giza Criminal Court cleared former Housing Minister Ahmed al-Maghrabi, former Tourism Minister Zoheir Garana, Khaled Makhlouf, the head of the executive apparatus for tourism development, and businessman Hisham al-Hazeq were acquitted of charges of profiteering and facilitating the seizure of public money in what has come to be known as the Hurghada land case. Egypt's papers: Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party Youm7: Daily, privately owned Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned Al-Sabah: Daily, privately owned Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party
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243 |
2013-03-18
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-released-bail-after-accused-storming-monufiya-court
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Thirty-eight members of the Ultras Ahlawy googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); were released on bail by the Shebeen al-Koum Court in Monufiya on Monday. They were released on LE2,000 bail. The football fans were detained on charges of attacking and attempting to break into the court as the protested against Thursday's arrest of one of their members on Thursday. They allegedly chanted slogans against the police force and the Muslim Brotherhood during the protest. Revolutionary forces and members of other ultra groups denounced the charges, claiming that the suspects were detained illegally and the Interior Ministry was attempting to "settle scores" with them. In addition to charges of besieging the court, the prosecution accused the suspects of burning public buildings, joining illegal organizations, attempting to jailbreak prisoners, burning the court building and insulting police officers. The suspects denied all charges. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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244 |
2013-03-27
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-al-masry-block-trains-port-said
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Members of Ultras al-Masry in Port Said blocked trains heading to and from the city on Wednesday, causing stations to overflow with passengers. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The football fans were calling for the dismissal of Port Said's governor and for security force personnel to be tried for the deaths of 48 residents in recent violence. They also called for a new trial for defendants found guilty of participating in the Port Said football stadium massacre last year that saw over 70 people killed. An Armed Forces delegation tried to persuade protesters to stand down, but demonstrators refused to do so until their demands were met. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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245 |
2013-03-31
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/allegations-financial-corruption-dog-doctors-syndicate
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Allegations of corruption and financial violations took center stage during Friday's Doctors Syndicate's general assembly meeting. Nevertheless, the Muslim Brotherhood majority inevitably pushed budgets through. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Friday's assembly, held to discuss last year's budget and approve next year's, kicked off with scuffles between doctors, and ended with a critical announcement by representatives of the Central Auditing Agency. The agency highlighted financial discrepancies exceeding LE1 million between its own findings and the figures in the syndicate's report. In a scene similar to Islamist demonstrations in Egypt, private buses that had transported Brotherhood doctors from different governorates surrounded the yard of Qasr al-Aini Hospital and the affiliated campus of Cairo University faculties of medicine and dentistry. The Friday sermon was disrupted by loud verbal clashes and subsequent scuffles between the graduating class of 2011 doctors from Alexandria and doctors responsible for organizing the event, who refused to let the new doctors in without adequate proof of syndicate membership. Doctors affiliated with the Brotherhood had decided to perform the prayer at Qasr al-Aini Hospital's conference hall, where the assembly was being held. Tensions rose when the new doctors forced their way into the hall. They claim the syndicate deliberately delayed the issuing of their syndicate ID cards to prevent them from attending the general assembly. Mona Mina, a member of the syndicate council, said newly graduated doctors have always been the backbone of general assemblies. Assistant Secretary General of the Syndicate Abdallah al-Keryony, a Brotherhood member, went on stage to blame the syndicate branch in Alexandria for the delayed IDs. He stressed, however, that the assembly would not take place until they are sure that all attendants inside the hall are doctors enrolled in the syndicate. "We won't allow transgressions," he stated emphatically. An agreement was eventually reached to register the names of doctors without IDs. The Alexandria branch would be responsible for making sure all the doctors were syndicate members. The general assembly meeting began with recitations of the Quran. Following the opening speeches, Central Auditing Agency representatives announced the findings of their report, which sparked angry reactions by the Brotherhood, who shouted slogans against the agency. Brotherhood doctors linked the Central Auditing Agency with "feloul," the word used for former regime members, and argued the report was only wasting time. Doctors from the Doctors Without Rights movement, however, stressed it was their money and they had a right to know where it went. The Central Auditing Agency report claimed that the value of the LE330,000 deficit in the syndicate report did not include an estimated LE1.263 million that was moved to other accounts. This sum pushes the deficit up to about LE1.593 million. An estimated LE802,000 of the misplaced funds, attributed to the syndicate's election expenses, was allocated to deferred administrative expenses. In its response to the Central Auditing Agency representatives, the syndicate hinted that these violations were inherited from the old regime. If indeed inherited, this would implicate Brotherhood leading member Essam al-Erian, who served as treasurer of the union from 1992 until 2011. No elections were held in the syndicate between 1992 and 2011, when it was mainly dominated by members of the now-defunct National Democratic Party and the Brotherhood. Keryony expressed respect for the Central Auditing Agency and stressed that its recommendations would be taken into consideration. "We only blame the Central Auditing Agency for its delay in sending us these notes," he said. "We only learned about them the day of the general assembly meeting, but we will be the first to file reports to the prosecutor general against all those who prove to be involved in financial or administrative corruption. Nobody is above the law." Erian, swiftly defending himself against accusations, posted a response on his official Facebook page: "I challenge any thief or liar who falsely claims I committed violations as treasurer of Egypt's Doctors Syndicate." "If they do not publish a denial immediately, I will sue them," he warned. Doctors from the Ultras White Coats movement demonstrated at the end of the assembly in protest against financial violations, calling for demonstrations this week in front of the syndicate headquarters. The exact date of the demonstration has not been set yet. Amr al-Shura, the Doctors Without Rights spokesperson, told Egypt Independent that the movement would begin collecting signatures from doctors to file a complaint to the prosecutor general and open an investigation into the financial violations mentioned by the Central Auditing Agency. The general assembly meeting ended with the adoption of last year's and next year's budgets in spite of all these events, pushed through by a Brotherhood majority. Promises of approving the doctors' new system for payment, which doctors have been demanding for years, have been repeated. Syndicate head Khairy Abdel Dayem said the new system would be adopted by 1 July. Keryony stated the syndicate council insisted that an adviser to the finance minister should attend general assemblies to erase any doubts about the syndicate's credibility when it comes to the new system. However, Ahmed Hussein, a member of the syndicate council and Doctors Without Rights, expressed skepticism on the matter. He added that sources within the Shura Council, the upper house of Parliament, indicate that the new system will be rejected. "I hope that my doubts prove to be wrong, but the syndicate has made its place very difficult," Hussein said. "Not approving the new system by 1 July will lead to a real crisis between doctors and the syndicate council."
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246 |
2013-03-31
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/no-photo-no-story-photojournalists-protest-abuses
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"No photo, no story" read one poster carried by one of many photojournalists at a protest held on 19 March in front of the Shura Council, in response to ongoing violence toward them during the last wave of clashes between security and protesters across the country. Other protesters carried pictures of their bruised colleagues taken after they were beaten by police. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The day reflected a growing plea by photojournalists who feel they have less institutional support, and are therefore more vulnerable, than other journalists. "As photographers, we have to be on the front line to get our images, so we are more visible but also easy targets," says Eman Helal, a photojournalist at Al-Masry Al-Youm. Amir Nabil, vice president of the Egyptian Photojournalists Society, which is part of the Journalists Syndicate, says the problems have recently been compounded. "These last two months, photographers have faced harassment from several sides, police as well as protesters," Nabil says. "It is not something new in our profession in Egypt but we have to raise our voices." Security forces attacked Nabil back in 2005 - he lost his right eye while covering parliamentary elections when a policeman threw a brick at him. A few years later, and despite the 25 January revolution and regime change, problems persist. "What happens between photographers and police keeps repeating. It's always the same story. They target photographers, break or confiscate their cameras, steal their wallets and arrest them for hours, while beating them up, or not if they are lucky," says Nabil. On 16 March, clashes erupted when Muslim Brotherhood members attacked protesters spraying anti-Brotherhood graffiti near the group's headquarters in Moqattam, on the edge of Cairo. Security officers then targeted photographers and journalists covering the clashes. Witnesses said Brotherhood members used sticks and iron chains in the attack, breaking Mohamed Nabil's leg and Amr Diab's arm. Both men are photographers for Al-Watan newspaper. "I was taking pictures of young people drawing on the ground, then security guards came out of the [Brotherhood] headquarters building and started to clash with the youth. When they saw me and my colleagues reporting what was happening, they started to shout at us, saying that we were bad media," says Diab. Diab says they then attacked the photographers and their cameras, and injured his arm. "Afterward, I went to the prosecutor's office to complain, and although he said those who did that would be sued, I haven't seen anything moving or any action taken against them," he says. Photojournalists see impunity as a reason for the continued attacks against them. Helal says her camera lens was broken and she was punched during a march on 26 January 2011. "I fell on the ground. Fortunately, people helped me stand up. I'm a member of the Journalists Syndicate, which issued a [statement] but nothing else," she says. "I didn't get any compensation for what happened and the security officers will never get sued." Earlier this month, Diab and Nabil met with Interior Ministry officials to address the issue. Nabil says they were promised that harassment of photographers would stop, and that a Central Security Forces general would meet with them. "We do these meetings because we are no one's enemy. We covered [Hosni] Mubarak as we are now covering the Brotherhood. The camera should be respected because it never lies," says Nabil. Nabil and others complain that police are not the only force preventing them from doing their work. They say protesters also sometimes prevent photographers from doing their work, and threaten to break their cameras if they are caught taking pictures. Nabil explains that these protesters fear being recognized in the media, leading to police arrests. "Also, most of the time, if they don't want us to take pictures, they are probably doing something wrong," he says. Hamada al-Rasam, also a photographer, says he understands why protesters are sometimes worried about having their photos taken, because photos can be misused or the wrong captions printed in error. "The problem is not about a law to respect photographers, the problem is on the ground. The protesters and the police have to understand that we are just taking photos. We want to tell people what happened. We are not the Brotherhood, the ultras or the Black Bloc," says Mohamed Aley Eddin, a freelance photographer. Nabil stresses this will only happen if people understand that photographers do not take positions. "We would like people to understand that a photographer is not expressing his or her point of view. They are just reflecting what's happening. When they leave their cameras at home, then they can express whatever they want," he says. With meager pay and scant institutional support, particularly for photojournalists working without contracts, the risks are high. Many say it a passion for the job that keeps them going. The Egyptian Photojournalists Society was set up as a space for photographers to address the Journalists Syndicate's exclusionary nature and lack of action in some cases. The society was created six years ago, one year after Nabil lost his eye, in response to security forces' abuse of photojournalists. In early 2007, security forces prevented photographers from taking pictures for more than five minutes in Parliament after an Al-Masry Al-Youm photojournalist took a picture of then-Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif eating a watermelon seed. In response, photographers demonstrated in front of the Journalists Syndicate and decided to form their own division. Renowned photojournalist Hossam Diab was elected as chairperson, and Nabil as deputy chairperson. The Journalists Syndicate's membership is limited to photographers with official contracts with media organizations and university degrees. Nabil says the society is a branch of the syndicate and can not decide on the rules for membership. "Sometimes those rules are a shame, as we have many photographers in Egypt who are very talented, but who haven't graduated from university," Nabil says. "As a society, we are trying to have accreditation for photographers who can't be part of the syndicate. This accreditation is proof that the photojournalists society is there to help them." Inside newspapers, photojournalists also face internal challenges. Randa Shaath, head of the photography department at Al-Shorouk daily, says: "Photojournalists face violence in the streets not only from authorities but from thugs and people who have different views of photography If they get harrassed or attacked and go back to their newspapers, they don't always get compensated for their broken or stolen equipments. "In addition, they are not well paid, their photos are not always published and the newspapers don't give them their proper respect. We are still in a culture that values the written word over an image; a culture that is visually illiterate."
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247 |
2013-04-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/football-fans-not-welcome-upcoming-matches
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Sports Minister Al-Emary Farouq announced all local, Arab and African championship football matches will be played without spectators, after fans damaged a stadium belonging to the Armed Forces during an Ahly game earlier this week. Fans also chanted obscene slogans. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Farouq, a former board member of the Ahly Football Club, said he made the decision to ensure public safety and avoid putting public installations at risk. This means upcoming Ahly and Zamalek club matches in the African Champions League, and the Ismaili and ENPPI clubs in the African Confederation Cup, will all be played without fans in the stands. The Ahly Club, the country's best team, was fined LE500,000 for the damages its fans, who are known as the Ultras Ahlawy, caused to the stadium. It is also expected to be penalized by the Confederation of African Football. A projectile landed near the Kenyan goalkeeper moments before Ahly's Emad Moteab scored the second goal, to which the visiting team objected. The match was nevertheless resumed, with Ahly winning 2-0 and 4-1 on aggregate to qualify for the knockout round. Ismaili Club fans also clashed with police after their team lost the Arab Federation Cup qualifier last week. Only a limited number of Egyptian fans are allowed to attend matches held abroad.
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248 |
2013-04-16
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/football-fans-close-sports-ministry-protest-game-ban
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Dozens of Zamalek Club Ultras, known as the White Knights, closed the gates of the Ministry of Sports in Cairo to protest a decision denying them attendance at all football games Tuesday morning. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Ministry security officials negotiated with the youths to end their protest. The protest ended, although the protesters threatened escalation of their demands are not met. Last week, Sports Minister al-Emary Farouq banned fans from attending local and African games, following a rampage that followed an African League match between Egypt's al-Ahly and a Kenya team. The minister said the move was necessary to ensure the safety of supporters and facilities A number of al-Ahly fans had raised banners attacking Egypt's former military ruler Mohamed Hussein Tantawi and smashed some parts of the Borg al-Arab Stadium, run by the Armed Forces. The stadium administration then announced that it would not host any further football competitions for local teams. Egypt's premier league kicked off in February in stadiums run by the Armed Forces, as a security measure to avoid violence a year following the Port Said massacre when over 70 Ahly fans were killed in Port Said Stadium after a match against al-Masry. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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249 |
2013-04-19
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/justice-jeopardy
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"I think you can see how many [former regime officials] have been released from prison. They'll give them bonuses next," President Mohamed Morsy said at a news conference in late March. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The acquittal of several former regime officials charged in corruption cases had clearly bothered Morsy, whose group has been mobilized to protest today, Friday, to demand the purging of the judiciary. Within the same breath, however, he emphasized his respect for the judiciary. The Muslim Brotherhood and its man in office have had a rocky relationship with the judiciary since their rise to political power, respecting certain decisions and clearly flouting others. In January, the president called on Port Said residents to respect judicial rulings after a court ordered the execution of 21 local Masry Ultras in the Port Said football violence case. Residents accused the judiciary of bias and of appeasing Ultras Ahlawy, a Cairo-based group of ultras, or hardcore football fans. Later in March, neither the president's office nor the Brotherhood seemed even a little fazed about a ruling that annulled the appointment of the current prosecutor general. The Brotherhood-appointed prosecutor general said he would stay in office. Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud, a Brotherhood lawyer, said that it is not in the group's nature to undermine the judiciary, as it has always respected the legacy of the judicial branch, which he said brought justice to the Brotherhood on several occasions under former President Hosni Mubarak's rule. Abdel Maqsoud does not believe the Brotherhood has adopted conflicting positions toward the judiciary. He said the law allows any entity to contest judicial rulings through legal avenues. It is the media, he argues, that has drawn negative attention to it. "All judges should steer clear of the media and not give any statements that reveal their political orientations," he stated. "The Supreme Judicial Council's decision to ask judges not to appear in the media was prudent, because the phenomenon is new to us and it is dangerous because it opens the door to commenting on judicial rulings and questioning the integrity of the judiciary." In its interpretation of the ruling, which voided the prosecutor general's appointment, the Supreme Judicial Council urged the prosecutor general to take the initiative to relinquish his position and return to work as a judge, and called on judges to refrain from appearing in the media. But there are several other cases that appear to point to the Brotherhood's unclear and uneven relationship with the judiciary: a relationship seen by critics as undermining the independence of the judicial branch. The Brotherhood did not protest a ruling issued in April 2012 ordering the dissolution of the first Constituent Assembly, formed by the now-dissolved People's Assembly. But in June, the Brotherhood protested three judicial rulings, exploiting them throughout Morsy's presidential campaign. The first ruling acquitted former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly's aides, charged with the killing of protesters. The second found the People's Assembly elections law unconstitutional, a ruling that the then-ruling military junta used to dissolve Parliament's lower house. The third ruling abrogated the Political Isolation Law, tailored by the dissolved Parliament to disqualify former regime members Ahmed Shafiq and Omar Suleiman from the presidential race. The ruling enabled Shafiq to continue the race, and he eventually reached the runoff election but lost to Morsy. With a victory in hand, however, the Brotherhood and Morsy praised the judiciary, which it said neutrally supervised the election. Shortly afterward, Morsy honored Farouk Sultan, the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) head, after he reached retirement age - despite the many reservations the Brotherhood expressed toward the rulings the SCC issued a month before. But the honeymoon between the judiciary and the Brotherhood would soon end. In November, before the SCC could review a case calling for the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly and the Shura Council - whose session was scheduled for 2 December - Morsy issued a constitutional declaration that immunized the two bodies, and removed the prosecutor general. Judges and opposition powers saw the move as a flagrant infringement on the judiciary's role. Muslim Brotherhood members besieged the SCC around the time the ruling was expected, and a few days later, the group's official spokesperson described the SCC as "a counter-revolutionary power" after it "suspiciously" issued a ruling to dissolve the People's Assembly in June. Sabry Amer, a Freedom and Justice Party member and former head of the dissolved People's Assembly transportation and information committee, believes judges are to blame for issuing rulings out of touch with the zeitgeist. He believes judges fail to observe the spirit of the law and "do not at all feel what this nation, which is ailing economically and politically, is going through. "I do not wish to say that the judiciary is politicized, but it is a state institution, and so it should have a sense of the conditions in the country," he argues. He adds that there is a difference between implementing the law on a healthy man and implementing it on a sick one. "There is something they call a medical pardon," he says. Amer says the ruling to dissolve the People's Assembly failed to observe the country's conditions, even if it was legally justified. "The ruling was issued by a man who did not see or hear of the country's circumstances," he says. "So long as parliamentary elections were free, characterized by integrity and achieved some degree of justice, then he should have taken into account the nationwide conditions. A country at war is different from one at peace." Amer thinks that strict implementation of the law is acceptable under normal conditions, but "not in the exceptional conditions we are living in. "What law or constitution was it that justified the stepping down of Mubarak and the dissolution of the People's Assembly and Shura Council at the beginning of the revolution?" he asks. Essam al-Tobgy, a State Council member, says, "The Brotherhood is the last to speak about the country's interests and judicial rulings because, from the beginning of the revolution, they refused to pass exceptional and revolutionary laws." Tobgy adds that none of the members of the Brotherhood should claim that the judiciary is corrupt. If that were the case, then Morsy should be the first to step down, as it was the same judges whose integrity he contests who supervised the election that brought him to power. Adel Ramadan, a lawyer with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, agrees with Tobgy that it is in the Brotherhood's interest not to cast suspicions on the judiciary's integrity. He says those in power want to create the impression that the judiciary is independent because it plays an important role in running state affairs, so the Brotherhood has no interest in causing people to lose confidence in the judiciary even if they are at odds with it. "A society without a judiciary cannot be controlled," he adds. Ramadan adds that there are issues that reveal the disagreement between the judiciary and the Brotherhood, such as when the SCC invalidated the parliamentary elections law as if to send a message that it is the highest judicial body in the country and its authority cannot be challenged. "All of those rulings do not flout the law, because the court will sometimes strictly apply the law and at others only flexibly implement it. It has a margin of action within the limits of the law itself," he argues. Ramadan says that the Brotherhood has very little presence within judicial circles, with the majority of judges being independent, or associated in some way with the former regime. This, he says, may partially explain why the Brotherhood tends to antagonize the judiciary. The Brotherhood undoubtedly wants to control a power as important as the judiciary, he adds, though it has no vision for the judiciary's role. The group only sees it as a tool to dominate, Ramadan says. Now that the group is in power, he states, it is trying to control the judiciary the way it did with the prosecutor general's position. In the past, it always sought to win the sympathy of the judiciary when it belonged to the ranks of the opposition.
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250 |
2013-04-19
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/update-least-49-injured-high-court-clashes-say-officials
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Central Security Forces have been deployed to the area around the High Court as violent clashes erupted between Muslim Brotherhood protesters and opposition activists, who hurled stones and exchanged birdshot at each other as Brotherhood members chanted, "God is great" and "Islamic, Islamic." Witnesses say the leaders of the Brotherhood protest urged the violence on, chanting, "Beat the thugs." googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Violence was also ongoing in the Abdel Moneim Riad area, even as CSF troops fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse the protesters. The Ambulence Authority reported that at least 49 have been injured so far. The clashes ignited after opposition protesters in Tahrir Square headed to the square's Abdel Moneim Riad Street entrance late Friday afternoon and set fire to buses that brought in Muslim Brotherhood protesters from the governorates into Cairo for a mass demonstration. A march including 25 Black Bloc members arrived in Tahrir earlier, then headed to the High Court where the Brothers were staging their protest calling for purging the judiciary. Another march staged by the Revolutionary Ultras arrived in the square coming from Qasr al-Nil Bridge, chanting against President Mohamed Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood. They marched around the square and shot off fireworks before they head to the High Court. Clashes then broke out between the Muslim Brotherhood protesters and opposition activists. Both sides threw stones and bird shot was reportedly fired. Ambulances and fire trucks were deployed to the site of the clashes to transport the injured to the hospital. Earlier Friday afternoon, Muslim Brotherhood members demonstrating in front of the High Court ipainted the walls of the court complex, removing slogans painted by the April 6 Youth Movement and other opposition movements who had recently been demonstrating there to demand the release of political detainees. The Brotherhood protesters chanted, "We are the majority, we are the original rebels, we are all Egyptians." Some wore t-shirts bearing Morsy's photograph. One participant announced through loudspeakers that the group would stage another demonstration in Tahrir Square next Friday to continue demanding the purging of the judiciary. Around 2,000 protesters took part in three different marches to the High Court from Al-Fatah Mosque after Friday prayers. Islamist political groups including the Wasat Party and the Hazemoun participated, as well as several protesters injured during the 25 January revolution. Participants called for purging the judiciary of corrupt figures, amending the Judicial Authority Law so as to lower the legal age of judges' retirement to 60 and applying Article 150 of the Constitution to cases related to the killing of protesters. "Go [Ahmed] Zend tell Tahani [al-Gebali] that Abdel Meguid [Mahmoud] will not be back," "Shoulder to shoulder in the square against Hosni [Mubarak] and the jailer." The protesters raised banners that read: "No to Mubarak's judges, no to Mubarak's state, and no to the judiciary of the feloul [former figures of Mubarak regime]." They also raised flags that read "Ultras Nahdawy." Meanwhile, Omar Makram Mosque saw altercations as worshippers were deeply divided by Sheikh Mazhar Shaheen's Friday sermon. Shahien, who has been suspended by the Endowments Ministry for his political speeches in the mosque, rejected what he called the "demolition of the institution of judiciary under the pretext of purging it of corruption." Supporters and opponents of the Brotherhood's call to protest began to chant slogans against each other after the sermon. Some worshipers chanted: "The people want to purge the judiciary," and "Islamic, Islamic in spite of liberalism." Opposition worshippers chanted: "The people want to bring down the supreme guide's rule," and "Judiciary, judiciary, Brothers demolished the judiciary." "If the judiciary is demolished, that will take Egypt into a dark tunnel; if the judiciary is demolished, rights will be lost and chaos will spread, because we will be living in a jungle where blood runs on the ground, which is not acceptable to Sharia or religion. It is even incompatible with the basic rules of humanity," Shaheen said during his sermon. The revolution called for bread, freedom and human dignity, which requires reforming some state institutions, he said, adding that purging corruption in state institutions was also among the demands of the revolution. "Islam orders us to prevent and fight corruption and to prosecute any corrupt [figures], but purging [institutions] should not be a means to achieving other ends, and the revolution's demands should not be used to settle accounts," Shaheen said. The preacher called for achieving justice only through evidence, and not based on suspicions and rumors. He pointed out that a whole institution should not be torn down due to some corrupt individuals, saying such a step would be against Sharia and national security. The preacher rejected politicizing the judiciary in favor of a certain group or political party, warning that this could lead to chaos and a widespread mistrust of the judiciary. Shaheen questioned the protesters' demands to lower the age of retirement for judges to 60, asking if those over 60 were the only corrupt individuals in the system. Shaheen called for a clear mechanism to hold corrupt judges accountable, saying, "The judge who proves implicated in corruption should be prosecuted ... that will not happen without a clear mechanism for cleansing." "We could have set up gallows in Tahrir Square to try murderers, but we chose justice, and relying on the judiciary and the law so as not to spread chaos in the country, and have people killed on pretext that they belonged to the [ruling] party or to the regime," Shaheen said. Thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members began gathering outside the High Court in the morning for the mass demonstration. The protest was organized in response to a court's ruling this week to release former President Hosni Mubarak from prison pending his retrial on charges of complicity in killing protesters during the January 2011 uprising. Mubarak was released on the grounds that his period of provisional detention has expired. They raised banners that read: "Oh Judges for Egypt [a judiciary movement], we are with you until victory [is attained]," "Oh you silent, why are you silent? What is up, have you taken your rights?" "The people want to purge the judiciary," and "Retribution for martyrs." The protesters set up large speakers on the stairs of the High Court and hung a large banner that read: "Five main demands: The people want to purge the media and judiciary, to change the Judicial Authority Law, to sack the justice minister, to prosecute [Judge Ahmed] al-Zend and [former top prosecutor] Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, and to hold revolutionary tribunals." The protesters also raised the flags of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, jihad flags and the Muslim Brotherhood flag. The 26 of July Street was blocked as the number of protesters continued to increase. "Participating in today's protest is assigned to some members of the group, not all of them," said Brotherhood member Saber Abbas, who also told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the protest objects to the "mixing [of] political and judicial [matters]." The protest is scheduled to end at 5 pm, Abbas said. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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251 |
2013-04-23
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/health-workers-vigil-presses-funding-regulatory-demands
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Doctors and pharmacists from several professional groups held a vigil outside the Shura Council Tuesday to highlight the need for more health funding. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The demonstration by the Doctors Without Rights, Pharmacists Without Rights, Health Defense and Doctors Ultras movements came as the upper house of Parliament reviews the fiscal year 2013/2014 budget proposed by the Cabinet. Doctors have long protested to demand regulations that would state terms of employment, salaries and promotions within the profession. They also want a framework that stipulates free health care for the poor and fair compensation for doctors. They threatened to go on strike once again in hospitals nationwide if their demands are not met. Doctors went on strike for nearly three months starting on 1 October to demand an increase in the Health Ministry's budget, better security for hospitals and a review of administrative and financial matters within the sector. "The Shura Council cancelled Saturday's meeting that was meant to discuss this issue and did not specify another date," said Dr. Mona Mina, founder of the Doctors Without Rights movement. "This is an insult to us." Shura Council Health Committee member Abdel Ghaffar Salhin said the committee would meet with the finance minister and apply a health sector bylaw by July. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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252 |
2013-06-20
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/sports-minister-premier-league-games-will-go-ahead
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Sports Minister Al-Emary Farouq has said Premier League games will go ahead this weekend, despite earlier calls by security officials for the fixtures to be postponed. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Farouq agreed with Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim to move the round-17 and 18 games, originally slated for Thursday and Friday, to Saturday and Sunday, during a phone call on Wednesday. The Interior Ministry's General Security Sector notified Egypt's Football Association it was against holding the 2 fixtures due to demonstrations planned by Islamists to back President Mohamed Morsy. Threats by supporters' groups, including Ultras Ahlawy, Ultras White Knights and Ismaili's Yellow Dragons, to storm matches also alerted security officials. Egyptians Premier League games have been held without fans' attendance since the embattled league kicked off against last February. Farouk told Al-Masry Al-Youm rounds 17 and 18 would be adjourned to Saturday and Sunday and praised the role of the police in protecting sports activities in Egypt. The Egyptian Premier League restarted last February after a one-year suspension following the February 2012 Port Said football massacre. Seventy-two Ahly fans were killed in the violence. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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253 |
2013-07-21
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/zamalek-fans-attend-ahly-match-despite-security-warnings
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Zamalek Club's White Knights Ultras say they plan to attend a Wednesday fixture against Ahly in Gouna, despite a statement posted on the club's website warning of the security risks of attending the match. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); "The Confederation of African Football (CAF) hadn't submitted anything to Zamalek Club about banning fans," the ultras group said on its Facebook page. What was published in this regard is no more than rumours." "We confirm that fans attendance is not the CAF's business. Zamalek was penalized with banning fans from attendance," the group added. "The issue is related to the Egyptian Interior Ministry," it said, insisting Zamalek fans would be at the game. "It's our legal right." Ahly and Zamalek are supposed to face off in the African Champions League game on Wednesday. African Champion League matches are played in Egypt without fans at the game, after the Egyptian Football Association notified CAF that fans could not attend for security reasons following the ouster of President Mohamed Morsy and the ultimate cancellation of the championship. Ultras Ahlawy earlier announced on its Facebook page that they will also attend the match, despite a refusal by security forces to allow the game to be playd at the Air Defence ground. The match would therefore be played at Gouna in Hurghada, officials said.
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254 |
2013-07-29
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/medical-convoys-villages-detect-breast-tumors
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The Beni Suef branch of the National Council for Women, in collaboration with the Health Ministry, has sent medical convoys for early detection of breast tumors to the 10 poorest villages in Egypt. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The convoys scanned random samples of women, trained them in self-examination techniques, and took the positive cases for lumpectomy. "They are visiting the villages twice a week for two weeks," said branch rapporteur Nermine Abdel Azim. Out of 400 women that were examined in Beni Suef, five cases were detected in the first week. They were sent to the university hospital to undergo an ultrasound mammogram. "We concentrate on uneducated married women," Abdel Azim said, adding that the convoys have trained the doctors and nurses of the Family Planning Department to perform breast examinations as a routine procedure, which contributes to the early detection of the disease. The convoys also detected other diseases, and sent the patients to the central hospitals for treatment free of charge. Edited translation from MENA
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255 |
2013-07-31
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/court-sets-december-date-port-said-massacre-retrials
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Egypt's Court of Cassation has said suspects involved in the Port Said football massacre will be retried in December. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Seventy-three suspects will be tried on 5 December for involvement in the February 2012 massacre, when 74 people from the Ultras Ahlawy were killed after a football game between Ahly and Masry. Port Said Criminal Court previously sentenced 21 suspects to death and five others to life imprisonment. It also cleared 28 others and gave sentences to the remaining suspects, with jail terms ranging from five to 15 years. Scores of Ahly team fans were killed and hundreds more injured on 1 February 2012 when Port Said's Masry supporters stormed the pitch after a rare victory over Ahly. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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256 |
2013-08-28
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/prosecutor-employee-investigated-over-snooping-claims
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Prosecutor General Hisham Barakat has referred an employee in his office to investigators over suspicions of involvement in alleged spying. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The suspect may have installed cameras and listening devices in the office. Security and judicial sources said the employee installed them inside the office of former Prosecutor General Talaat Abdallah, with a view to submitting recordings to foreign governments. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the suspect planted cameras and devices inside offices used by technical investigators - to discover information from interrogations, particularly relating to activists and media figures. Barakat, according to sources, discovered the devices almost one month after his appointment. He delegated a technical committee to inspect them and transferred the employee from the technical office. Meanwhile, Abdullah issued a statement on Tuesday denying news circulated in the so-called "pro-coup" media. He said he did not install devices. The statement added that surveillance cameras placed inside the premises were done so according to security approval and procedure, reportedly as an attempt to protect Abdallah after a group of Ultras and April 6 Youth Movement activists attempted to break into the High Court building. The former lead prosecutor denied cameras were used to spy on anyone. They were visible to anyone who entered the building, he claimed. Abdullah received death threats from unknown groups that opposed ousted President Mohamed Morsy, threatening him if he stayed in his post or ordered the arrest of opposition activists under Morsy, the statement said. He also received written threats demanding his immediate resignation. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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257 |
2013-09-05
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/retrial-11-port-said-massacre-defendants-set-saturday
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Ismailia Appeals Court set a 7 September date for the retrial of 11 defendants who were formerly handed death sentences in absentia for their role in the Port Said massacre. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The Court of Cassation meanwhile announced a 5 December trial for retrying 73 defendants in the Port Said massacre case in which 74 people were killed from hardcore Ahly fans Ultras Ahlawy in February 2012. Port Said Criminal Court had sentenced 21 people to death and five others to life, acquitting 28 others. The rest of the defendants received prison sentences that ranged from five to 15 years. The bloody violence broke out after the end of a match between locals al-Masry and Ahly club in the football league. Seventy-four people were killed and 248 others injured. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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258 |
2013-09-19
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/police-besiege-thousands-zamalek-ultras-gathering-outside-club
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Thousands of Zamalek Football Club ultras calling themselves "White Knights" gathered outside the club on Wednesday and chanted slogans against the players and the administration, as security forces besieged the ultras in an attempt to prevent them from storming the club. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The ultras set fire to the croquet court cafeteria Security forces used tear gas and shot cartouches in the air to disperse them. Ambulances transported some 30 people who were injured or suffered suffocation. The ultras blocked Arab League Street and Sphinx Square that lead to the club, causing traffic jams in the area. Also, shops outside the club were closed. The ultras said they wanted to purge the club from "traitors and losers" and would not leave until the Board of Directors was removed and coach Helmy Tolan is dismissed. They also chanted slogans against chairman Mamdouh Abbas. The Board of Directors had postponed a decision regarding Tolan until after the match with the Congolese Leopards on Sunday. Zamalek was defeated 4-0 last Sunday by its traditional rival Ahly Club in the fifth round of the African Champions League. This has diminished its chances at reaching the semi-finals. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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259 |
2013-09-20
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/zamalek-members-protest-solidarity-ultras-white-knights
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Members of Zamalek Club will on Saturday organize a silent protest inside the club in solidarity with members of Ultras White Knights and to call for the departure of the current club board led by Mamdouh Abbas. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Club members called for a signature-gathering campaign to officially withdraw confidence in Abbas. They plan to then submit their petition to Sports Minister Taher Abu Zeid. Ultras White Knights held Zamalek's board responsible for clashes that erupted at the club on Thursday as well as for the football team's loss to Ahly which helped it qualify for the African Champions League semifinals at the expense of Zamalek. They accused the board of letting go of key players, failing to pay the players' salaries and taking decisions unilaterally. One of the Ultras White Knights leaderships said the current board has lost its legitimacy, adding that Saturday will be the beginning of the end of eight years of shame for this great club. "We will not allow further humiliation of the club," he said. They also do not want the current board to continue after its term ends in September. Several of the prominent members of the club, including two former presidents of the club, Ahmed Mostafa, a former football player and media professional Fahmy Omar called for the formation of a "committee of wise men" to mediate appeasement. Medhat al-Adl, a poet, expressed solidarity with the planned protest and said, "Even though I denounce the violence that erupted on Thursday, I still hold Abbas and his incompetent board responsible for it." Adl expressed surprise at how Abbas insists to stay even though everyone wants him to go after he caused group games to fail and overwhelmed the club with debts. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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260 |
2013-09-22
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-white-knights-vow-harsh-response-against-zamalek-club-management
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Ultras White Knights (UWK), a young group of Zamalek Club football fans, expressed anger at the decision of head of Zamalak Club Mamdouh Abbas for banning audience attendance during Sunday match between Zamalek and the Iobar Congolese in the African Champoins League. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Abbas has submitted a request to the Interior Ministry to ban audience from attending the match on Sunday afternoon. The group published a statement on its Facebook page condemning Zamalek Club board of directors headed by Abbas for ignoring their demands and using violence against group members who protested last week. The statement attacked Abbas and the Interior Ministry and vowed a harsh response in the coming hours. The group accused Abbas's body guards and the police of attacking its members who were protesting at the club last Thursday, demanding Abbas be sacked. The safe exit of the club's board of directors after the blood of fans has been shed became impossible, according to the statement. It added there would be important and strong moves announced for the group in the coming few hours. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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261 |
2013-09-23
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/member-zamalek-ultras-dies-after-clashes
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Amr Hussein, a member of the Zamalek Club White Knights Ultras, died on Monday after suffering a gunshot wound in the clashes that took place outside the club on Thursday with security services. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The Ultras had announced what they called a "white revolution" against chairman Mamdouh Abbas and coach Helmy Tolan due to the poor peformance of the team in the football championships. They tried to storm the club and compel Abbas to leave, which led to clashes with police. The Ultras expressed condolences for Hussein on Facebook and vowed retribution. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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262 |
2013-09-24
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/thousands-send-ultras-white-knights-member-burial
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Thousands of members of the Ultras White Knights on Tuesday held a funeral service for Amr Hussein at Salaheddin Mosque in Manyal. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Hussein died on Monday after suffering a gunshot wound in a protest on Thursday. Hussein was buried in Fayoum with members of his family. Hussein's colleagues vowed to carry out retribution for their dead friend who wanted to see Mamdouh Abbas, the current president of Zamalek Club, leave. Meanwhile, members of Ultras White knights refused to receive Helmi Toulan, Zamalek football head coach. Ultras White knights protested outside the club on Thursday to call for the removal of Abbas after the football team was defeated by Ahly in the African League. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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263 |
2013-10-04
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-white-knights-vow-revenge-killing-colleague
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Ultras White knights vowed a severe response over the coming days to the killing of their colleague Amr Hussein who died at Qasr al-Aini Hospital. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Hussein had received a gunshot in the chest allegedly at the hands of the police during protests staged by the Ultras White Knights in front of Zamalek Club to demand the departure of the club board. White Knights published a statement on their official page on Facebook in which they said that the mentality of the police has not changed and that they still use their policy of suppression when dealing with different kinds of protesters. White Knights said they will continue to defend their rights. "Nothing has changed, we're still the terrorists we were before the revolution...we are still demanding what is right and fighting for it, laying down our own lives to fight some ignorant people, for whom suppression is a way of life and whose imagination is sick. Amr Hussein, it is either we take restore your rights or die like you." Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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264 |
2013-10-16
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-ahlawy-members-detained-blocking-airport-road
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Prosecutors on Wednesday ordered the detention of 19 members of the Ultras Ahlawy group for four days pending investigation, charged with blocking the Salah Salem road leading to the airport and assaulting citizens as well as police personnel. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The Ultras denied the charges and claimed police arrested them randomly. The defense asked for their bail and considered the charges as too general. The Ultras were protesting to demand the release of their fellow members who were detained in clashes with police at Cairo Airport upon the arrival of the Ahly football team on Sunday. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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265 |
2013-10-17
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/court-releases-ultras-ahlawy-members-after-airport-protest
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Nozha Misdemeanour Court released 19 members of the Ultras Ahlawy on LE2,000 bail each on charges of blocking Salah Salem Road and Galaa Bridge, following a welcome-back demonstration near to Cairo International Airport for the Ultras' handball team. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The prosecution had charged the 19 Ultras Ahlawy members with blocking roads and assaulting citizens and policemen. The suspects meanwhile denied the charges saying the police rounded them up randomly. According to investigations, the suspects blocked roads and stopped traffic to push for the release of 25 of their colleagues who were arrested after assaulting police forces at the Cairo International Airport while receiving Ahly's handball team on Sunday. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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266 |
2013-10-19
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-ahlawy-march-demand-release-members
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Hundreds of the members of football supporters groups Ultras Ahlawy and Ultras White Knights marched on the High Court in downtown Cairo on Saturday to demand the release of 25 members arrested last Sunday. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Ultras, as well as protesters supporting the cause, marched from Ahly sports club headquarters in Zamalek. The 25 defendants were arrested at Cairo International Airport on Sunday evening as they were waiting to receive the Ahly handball club, returning from Morocco. Security forces claim the group ignited fireworks inside the airport terminal, while the group said in a statement that they were banned from entering the terminal in the first place and security forces were the ones who attacked the group with birdshot, injuring dozens. Following the incident, 150 group members were arrested, then 100 were released. The remaining 25 were interrogated at 4 am on Monday, meaning lawyers were unable to reach them. Human rights activist Sanaa Sief told Al-Masry Al-Youm hindering lawyers from clients is against the law. Out of the 25, two defendants are underage and remain under detention at Nozha Police Station. The other 23 were deported to Wadi al-Natroun prison, over 100 kilometers north of Cairo, while their families were not allowed to visit or send them food or clothing, as Suhair Dawood, mother of one of the defendants, told Egypt Independent. According to the Ultras Ahlawy, the High Court rally is the first step of escalation to demand the release of its members. Edited translation from al-Masry al-Youm
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267 |
2013-10-31
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/court-rejects-ultras-ahlawy-appeals-against-their-detention
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Misdemeanor Court officials have refused appeals from 25 members of the Ultras Ahlawy against their detentions on charges of rioting and assaulting security forces at Cairo International Airport. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The Ultras members were detained for 15 days pending investigations. Nozha Misdemeanor Court last Saturday rejected an appeal submitted by Mohannad Abdel Maqsoud, a member of the Ultras Ahlawy, against his detention, also for 15 days pending investigations. The court ordered the renewal of his detention along with fellow prisoners on Thursday for another 15 days. The Ultras members were detained in clashes with the police at Cairo airport after they went to welcome the Ahly handball team on 13 October. The Ultras later claimed in a statement that police forces started attacking them, later claiming they were in a "battle for survival" on the streets, under threat from security forces.
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268 |
2013-11-02
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/egyptian-ministries-bracing-morsy-trial
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Egyptian ministries are bracing for a day of potential unrest on 4 November, the day former President Mohamed Morsy is scheduled to appear in court. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The Interior Ministry said Saturday that security forces are preparing for protests following marching calls by the Muslim Brotherhood, focusing on 4 November with the Morsy trial. The Brotherhood is looking to spread chaos and hinder traffic, the ministry warned. In a statement the ministry said it will use every lawful tool at its disposal to police events. All ministry departments have been instructed to protect public and police property and prevent violence, according to the statement. The Health Ministry has also announced it is on high alert ahead of Morsy's trial. No hospital or emergency services staff have been permitted days-off. The ministry said it will have a central operations room during the day linking up governorates across Egypt, which will notify the Interior Ministry on significant developments. Emergency services will have 2,004 ambulances at their disposal, 434 of them stationed in the capital. Ambulances will be distributed along highways, deserts and international and coastal roads 24 hours ahead of the trial. Medial equipment and blood supplies are also being distributed to hospitals, particularly in Cairo. Hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters ended on Saturday a protest staged outside the High Court. Ultras Nahdawy movement announced end of protests staged on the same day, demanding the halting of Morsy's trial. Traffic around the High Court returned to normal after end of the protest. Mohamed Yehia, a movement member, said the protest was peaceful. The protest was scheduled to last for one hour. No clashes with residents or security forces took place. The day of Morsy's trial, according to Yehia, "will see the biggest rally before the place of his trial and near embassies and consulates." Security forces emptied the High Court of employees on Saturday after the Ultras Nahdawy march was joined by Morsy supporters. Supporters raised the yellow Rabaa al-Adaweya sign and chanted slogans against Egypt's military. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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269 |
2013-11-06
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-ahlawy-march-downtown-over-25-prisoners
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A massive march of Ultras Ahlawy members and supporters set out from Ahly Club in Zamalek on Wednesday afternoon, heading for the High Court to protest against 25 members being held by authorities. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The prisoners were detained following clashes at Cairo International Airport over two weeks ago, which broke out when Ultras went to welcome back the Ahly handball team from an away fixture in the African Handball Championship in Morocco. The High Court saw a heightened security presence ahead of possible clashes. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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270 |
2013-11-07
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/cup-final-go-ahead-without-fans-fa
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The Egyptian Football Association said on Thursday the final cup match between Zamalek and Wadi Degla will go ahead without fans in the stadium. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The game will take place at Gouna stadium on Saturday. The announcement follows a letter from the Interior Ministry, sent to EFA officials, advising that the game could go ahead providing fans were not in the stands. Zamalek had expressed its objection to holding the game without spectators, after the Red Sea Security Directorate rejected their attendance on Wednesday. Zamalek club chief Kamal Darwish said that the club's administration has made attempts to convince the Football Association to allow the fans to attend, but in vain. Zamalek's hardcore fanbase, the Ultras White Knights, have declared their intention to attend the game in Gouna, despite the ban. Egyptian authorities have been banning spectators from attending football competitions since the Port Said massacre in February 2012, in which 72 Ahly fans, most of whom were members of the Ultras Ahlawy, were violently killed after a match between Ahly and Port Said's home club, al-Masry. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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271 |
2013-11-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/25-ultras-ahlawy-members-released-over-october-airport-clashes
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Nozha Prosecution has ordered the release of 25 members of Ahly Sports club fans, Ultras Ahlawy, who have been detained since mid October following clashes with security at Cairo International Airport. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The detainees were released after paying for damages sustained by the airport. The fans were staging a homecoming reception for the club's handball team on its way back from Morocco. They were arrested and accused of stirring riots and igniting fireworks at the arrival hall. Abdel Aziz Fadel, Egypt's Minister of Civil Aviation, said a settlement was reached with detainees' families. Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim told CBC satellite channel on Friday that prosecutors had been contacted to close the case. "We spoke to the prosecution to end that issue out of anxiousness for their (the Ultras) future, and for them to attend their examination," the minister said. The minister added that he aspires for more communication with Ultras groups for the sake of proper, unpoliticized cheering. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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272 |
2013-11-10
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-clash-police-champions-league-final
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Clashes erupted between hardcore football fans, the Ultras Ahlawy, and security forces near the Arab Contractors Stadium, only a few hours before the final of the 2013 CAF Champions League between Ahly and South African team, the Orlando Pirates. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Fans objected to tight security measures carried out by security, inspecting everyone entering the stadium and carefully checking tickets. Unrest, as well as the presence of thousands of Ahly fans around the stadium, hindered the Orlando team's bus from entering the stadium. A leading member of the group, who refused to be named, said security forces deliberately halted fans from going inside, in response to some of them entering early in the morning, before the alloted entry time for spectators. Group members, according to another Ultra, came early to prepare for celebrations using colorful signs, something which takes a long time to be set out. Security authorities only allowed a limited number of audiences to enter the stadium, in accordance with what an Interior Ministry directive, something which angered enthusiastic fans wishing to support their team. The leading member says that security dealt violently with the fans, firing tear gas to disperse them, and hitting many fans with sticks, which resulted in many casualties. A police van was vandalized as a result. The CAF Champions League final, which Ahly have won seven times before, kicks off at 6 pm Cairo time. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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273 |
2013-11-11
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/some-consider-revolution-license-chaos-sawiris-claims
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Business tycoon Naguib Sawiris said some in Egypt have seen the 2011 revolution as a "license for chaos," during a telephone interview with al-Tahrir satellite channel on Sunday. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Egypt has been living amidst unstructured chaos for three years, Sawiris claimed, something that has hindered investments and economic development. Sawiris accused hardcore football fan groups, the Ultras, of getting involved in politics. That will require government officials to deal with the Ultras with "wisdom," he said without elaborating. The famous tycoon also condemned some political group's opposition to a proposed law which would protect government officials if their decisions were deemed to be made in "good faith." "The law ends the theory of the 'trembling hands' within government," Sawiris argued, which would allow officials' to make decisive decisions in Egypt's interests. The Coptic businessman also announced he will be donating money for the restoration of both churches and mosques, part of an initiative by The House of the Family initiative under the auspices of Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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274 |
2013-12-05
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/court-rules-73-defendants-port-said-football-massacre
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The Port Said Criminal Court ruled on the 73 defendants of the Port Said football massacre. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The court acquitted 28 defendants while 45 defendants were punished with varying penalties. Twenty-one received death sentence, five sent to life imprisonment, 10 defendants sent to 15 years in prison, six sentenced to 10 years in prison, two sent to five years, and one year imprisonment for one defendant, for charges of the murder, inciting murder and facilitating the murder of 72 people. The Court of Cassation has set 6 February as date for verdict on appeal by 26 of the defendants convicted by the Port Said Criminal Court. A security alert was issued on Wednesday in the coastal city of Port Said, North east of Cairo, during the first session of the appeal filled by defendants of Port Said Stadium massacre. The alert pertains especially to vital and government installations and squares, in fear of retribution by football fans. On the first of February 2012, 72 Ahly fans, most of whom are members of Ultras Ahlawy, were violently killed after the end of a match between locals al-Masry and Ahly club in the football league. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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275 |
2013-12-22
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/suez-security-rejects-securing-masry-games
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Head of Suez security Hussein Harb refused to assume responsibility of securing a football game between Zamalek and the Port Said-based Masry Club to be held Wednesday, kicking off the two teams' matches in the Premier League. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Media reports claimed the rejection came after receiving threats from hardcore Ahly fans Ultras Ahlawy of assaulting Masry on its way to the stadium. Ihab Leheita, a board member of the Football Association, told the state-run Youth and Sports radio station on Sunday, "we were shocked by the decision of the Suez security to reject holding Masry games." "Masry games may be postponed, while the other Premier League games be held. This is the only solution we have now," he added. The Football Association had decided that all Masry's games-including the away games-will be held in Suez. Security rejects the idea. In February 2012, 72 Ahly fans, mostly belonging to Ultras Ahlawy, were killed in Port Said when Masry fans stormed the field after a game between the two teams that Masry had won. Over 70 Masry fans, in addition to police leaders, are being retried in the case. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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276 |
2014-01-29
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/square-story-lost-revolutionaries
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Today at 2am Cairo time, viewers from around the world will tune into the annual Oscars ceremony, where an Egyptian film has been nominated to win the "Best Documentary Feature" for 2014. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The Square, a documentary film about the "ongoing" Egyptian revolution, is one of five films that have been nominated for the category after winning the Audience Award at Sundance Festival in 2013. The film documents the course of Egypt's three-year-long political upheaval during and after Mubarak's ouster until the first civilian president Mohamed Morsy was unseated by the military. This all happens through the eyes of a handful of Tahrir Square protesters while transporting the viewer deeply into the intense emotional drama and personal stories behind the news. According to some film critics, the Square is likely to be the first Egyptian film ever to win the high-profile Oscar in the category of the Best Documentary Feature, let alone it is the first time an Egyptian film get nominated for such award. "Oscar tends to give awards to politically-motivated films rather than quality artistic films as Cannes does. It gave its award to Argo last year which was not a quality film but rather has a political dimension," said Mohamed Shafie, a cinema critic and actor. "In that sense, the Square has a potential to win." The documentary takes viewers through an immensely moving and emotional journey, laden with hope, euphoria, courage, betrayal, perseverance and frustration. Though it has been internationally acclaimed and screened in many countries worldwide, it has not yet been officially approved to be premiered in Egypt's theatres. Well-known producer Marianne Khoury told Mada Masr that getting approval from Egypt's censorship body has been an extremely difficult process due to the film's sensitive content, which includes a lot of brutally raw footage of the excessive violence used by the Egyptian military and security forces against protestors over the past three years. The film by Egyptian-American Jehan Noujaim has received international positive reviews upon its screening in many countries including London-based Frontline club, where the film was fully booked a week earlier. The film premiered on January 18, 2013 at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for World Cinema in the documentary category. Due to the ongoing nature of the Egyptian revolution, Noujaim updated the ending of the film over the summer of 2013.The film was subsequently also named winner of the People's Choice Award in the documentary category at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Though social media was a catalyst for the Arab Spring, it was also a tool that helped spreading the film nationwide. The film was downloaded and uploaded on YouTube and has been widely seen across Egypt in homes and coffee shops, shared on Facebook and discussed on social media. Internationally, the film had its impact on the budding revolution movements overseas. It was recently dubbed into Ukrainian and downloaded some 300,000 times by protesters there and shown in the square, in Kiev. There is a video on YouTube showing a public screening of the film in the Maidan of Kiev where protesters standing and showing full attention to the film events which might be has a futuristic view of what is going to happen in Ukraine after Russian military soldiers began deploying its troops in the country. A dubbed version is now spreading in Russia too, said the film's director Jehane Noujaim. Reaction among revolutionaries Yet, some young activists who participated in the 18-day uprising slammed the film as it was made from a "classy" perspective targeting the international audience rather than a local one. "The film ignored the people who got killed and injured during the revolution, and instead focused on a guy who is just talking and sounds [like he's] acting," says Shams Salem, 24-year-old drummer who participated in the revolution, "people who were killed and had chronic injuries are the characters who would best represent the Egyptian revolution." Islam Zaki, 29, a diving trainer in Sharm el-Sheikh resort said the positive thing about the film is "the merge of all social classes together in Tahrir's pot." Another political activist who preferred to remain anonymous said the film did not include one of the most critical periods in the revolution, missing a six-month period starting from December 2011 and unreasonably jumped to presidential election in 2012. "The film missed Port Said football massacre in February 2012 and Ultras who are still protesting until now," she said. At least 79 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured in Port Said Stadium riot. The first release in London came shortly before the 25 January revolution anniversary this year in a time a political turmoil is engulfing the country after the military's nation-wide crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood and other military opponents. The controversial film's cinematographer Cressida Trew and protagonist Khalid Abdalla presented the 99-minute-long film for around 200 British and Arab audiences. Through the personal stories, the film documents the unorganized, leaderless revolutionary young people who were fighting against Mubarak's brutal regime. Unexpectedly, Mubarak's ouster was not the end but rather a beginning of more battles and getting into darker tunnels. More organized forces, who claimed they were part of the revolution, sought directing the revolution for their political goal. The most organized ones include the military, who was in charge of killing and torturing many revolutionaries during the 18-month transition, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood, who revolutionaries alledge made a deal with the military in order to rise to power. The film's main characters Through the main three characters, the director vividly portrayed the story of young people claiming their rights, struggling through multiple forces from the brutal army dictatorship willing to crush protesters using military tanks, to a corrupt Muslim Brotherhood using its mosques to manipulate the voters, in the fight to create a "society of conscience." The first, Khalid Abdalla, is introduced by Ahmad Hassan, the main protagonist as "an Egyptian who lived abroad and decided to go down to the square and protest" against both Mubarak's and the military's brutality until he ended up forming a movement called Mosireen, a non-profit media activism group aimed at documenting the events during and after the 2011 Egyptian revolution in a bid to document human rights abuses against protesters and to challenge state media narratives. Abdalla's father and grandfather were well-known anti-regime activists in Egypt. His parents were both physicians who immigrated to the UK before he was born. At London's premier of the film, Abdalla identified himself as a person who came from three generations who were fighting for political reform in Egypt. "This is in my blood," Abdalla said, referring to his passion. Another main character is Ahmad Hassan, who is a twenty-something activist from the working-class district of Shobra who is evolving during the three-year-long political turmoil, from a street revolutionary to an activist who has persuasion and debate skills. "I started working when I was eight years old. In fifth grade, I used to pay my school tuition. I was selling lemons in the street. There was no hope for a better future in this country," he says as he introduces himself in the film. Hassan is a key part of the defense of Tahrir in the 18 days leading up to Mubarak's resignation, but unlike others, Muslim Brotherhood and Islamists, he continued protesting against both the military and Islamists after he saw things getting worse and protesters being killed and rounded up. "The biggest mistake revolutionaries made is that they left the square before legitimacy was in our hands," he said. After the euphoria resulted from Mubarak's ouster, Hassan says, "The regime (we fight to overthrow) is not only Mubarak, the regime is all country's institutions and they all have to change so we are going back to the square." Hassan is famously quoted in the film as saying, "We are not looking for a ruler to rule us, everyone went down to Tahrir Square has leadership skills, we are looking for a conscience." At the square, Hassan met Magdy Ashour, a Muslim Brotherhood member who was arrested and tortured many times at the hands of Mubarak's brutal state security; both Hassan and Ashour as well as Abdalla start a journey of fighting for justice and freedom, until they both get separated after Mubarak's ouster when Muslim Brotherhood gave blessings to the military brutalities against protesters. Though Ashour is religious, he is also a dynamic character, evolving through the fast-paced course of actions and soonrealizes that he is a revolutionary rather than a Brotherhood member and his place is always the square. The three characters, almost serve as a microcosm, representing different factions of Egyptian society in their behaviors and interactions. Abdalla discusses the film during London premiere After the film was shown at the premiere in London, reporters had the opportunity to ask Abdalla and his family questions about the work. When asked about his view of the current situation in Egypt and where it is leading the country, Abdalla said, "When we speak of the current situation now, we have a massive return to the police state, we have massacres that have been taken place, we have a media that has been completely taken over. And we have a mass popular support for the army and the police state, which is primarily built by hatred toward the Muslim Brotherhood as well as the sense of frustration of inability to get what people want." "But when the idea of Muslim Brotherhood fear fades away," Abdalla continued, "when the current military rule does not give the people the social justice they want, then rumbles begins again, you have to have this faith." Abdalla's wife Cressida Trew, who worked in the documentary, said the makers were filming and running around 15 characters for the film. "There were amazing people, but they did not all care to be filmed. Hassan was the one who knew how to open up in front of the camera, and the camera loved his face. He is charismatic when speaking to people, and people listen to him. He has a key voice within the revolution," said Trew. Abdalla agreed, saying that Hassan was generous for letting himself be filmed. In the time that military claimed they protect the revolution, supported by the state media, Abdalla was seen in the documentary speaking to his father about the media brainwashing people for the service of the military, and was seen in another scene telling young people that anyone has a camera should film as much as he or she can. "In Mohamed Mahmoud, when we saw a soldier pulling a corpse in the rubbish, this was a game-changing moment within the story of what was happening in Egypt, because people saw this footage, people who believed that the army was protecting the revolution, suddenly they saw that the army throwing a body into the rubbish," Abdalla said. Abdalla's father who was also at the premier of the film said, "People in the street changed a lot of the culture. The problem is that you have a totalitarian regime who knows what they want, you have Muslim Brotherhood who knows what they want, and in the middle you have leftists and socialists, who claim they know what they want but in reality they are divided. They have great political ideas but lacking the political mechanism to achieve what they want, so they rely on these young people in the street who are fighting." The Oscars for Egyptian viewers will be available starting with red carpet ceremonies at 2am Cairo Time on the Dubai One channel.
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277 |
2014-01-31
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/blogger-jailed-allegedly-threatening-national-security
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South Giza prosecutors ordered the detention of a blogger for 15 days pending investigation into charges that he threatened national security. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The blogger allegedly created a Facebook page called "Free Army of Egypt, Iraq and the Levant", which calls for armed militias to oppose security forces. Meanwhile, three Ultras Zamalkawy members were caught in an apartment in the Talbiya neighborhood allegedly in possession of Molotov cocktails. They were detained pending investigation. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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278 |
2014-02-06
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/court-accepts-retrials-port-said-massacre-case
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The Court of Cassation accepted on Thursday the challenge of 42 defendants in the Port Said massacre case, but rejected the appeal submitted by the nine others. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The challenge means holding retrials to 42 defendants out of those who received verdicts. The court also accepted the challenge submitted by the prosecution against the acquittal of 28 defendants. They will also be retried. In March of last year, the Port Said Criminal Court gave varied verdicts to 45 defendants, and acquitted 28 others, including the police leaders. The verdicts include the death sentence to 21 defendants, life imprisonment to five others, 15 years in prison for another 10 defendants, 10 years in prison for six defendants, five years for two defendants and one year in jail for one defendant. The defendants face the charges of murder, inciting murder and facilitating the murder 72 fans Ahly, most of which belong to hardcore fan group Ultras Ahlawy, after a football match between Cairo-based club al-Ahly and Port Said based al-Masry, in Port said Stadium on the first February 2012. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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279 |
2014-02-21
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/seven-ultras-ahlawy-members-detained-pending-investigation-over-stadium-clashes
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The prosecution ordered Friday the detention of seven Ultras Ahlawy members four days pending investigation over clashes that occured on Thursday evening between the security forces and fans in Cairo Stadium. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The Interior Ministry said in a statement Thursday that after Al-Ahly football team was handed the African Super Cup, fans chanted against the police and threw bottles and fireworks at the security forces in the Stadium, leading to the injury of 10 officers and 15 soldiers. According to the statement, fans set fire to a police car and two private cars on leaving the stadium. It added a number of rioters were arrested. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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280 |
2014-02-21
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-ahlawy-clash-security-forces
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Members of Ultras Ahlawy googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); on Thursday evening blocked Salah Salem and al-Nasr main streets in Cairo after clashes between them and the security forces in Cairo Stadium. The security forces arrested four members of the group during the clashes which took place after Ahly football team was handed the African Super Cup. The clashes erupted after a small number of fans inflitrated the pitch to celebrate with Ahly players their team's victory over Tunisia's Sfaxien team. As the security forces attempted to regain control, the crowd launched fireworks and threw chairs at the security forces, who responded by using tear gas. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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281 |
2014-02-22
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/15-brotherhood-backers-sentenced-2-years-over-january-demos-tahrir
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The Qasr al-Nil Misdemeanor Court on Saturday sentenced 15 supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsy to two years in prison and a LE50,000 fine for each over charges of rioting and violence at Cairo's Tahrir Square last month. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Defense lawyers had argued that the case's files failed to provide any evidence to charges of sabotage and assaults on police against members of Ultras Thawragy, a protest group affiliated with the Muslim Brothehood. The lawyers also challenged the warrantless arrests of the defendants, the soundness of investigations and conflicting police officers' testimonies. Eighteen other minors had been referred to a juvenile court in relation to the same incidents which occurred while the country was voting on its current constitution, which Morsy supporters deemed illegitimate. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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282 |
2014-03-10
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-groups-reject-police-presence-stadiums
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Fans of several football clubs issued statement on Sunday expressing rejection toward presence of police inside stadiums. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); A statement posted on all of the ultras official pages said football matches have become 'empty theatrical performances' to satisfy police, adding that the Interior Ministry decision to carry out the matches without fans ' expresses disability to perform its duties.' It also added that police decided to kill the fans through shooting them as a way to protect them from infiltrators that could carry out catastrophes inside the stadium. "Thus we declare it to everyone. We reject your presence on stadiums. We reject presence of the Interior Ministry personnel on Egyptian stadiums. Stop neglecting the main reason of all problems on Egyptian stadiums," it said. "Your absence means peaceful matches without any problem." The statement also noted that "Police does not exist inside football stadiums or at any other games." The statement also called on fans to be present before clubs on 15 March at 2 PM to voice demand of expelling police from stadiums and hiring private security companies to secure the matches. Among the ultras groups that signed the statements were Ultras Ahlawy and Ultras White Knights. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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283 |
2014-03-11
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/interior-ministry-welcomes-ulras-demand-not-secure-matches
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Major General Hani Abdellatif, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, praised in a statement the suggestion of football Ultras in Egypt to use private security companies to secure the matches saying it is an excellent idea and should be applied. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); "We had a plan since the beginning of the season about the gradual return of audience to attend matches, but what is happening made us rethink and emphasize that the current season will continue without audience," he said. The decision came to protect audience because he says terrorist elements have been waiting for any gathering that is secured by the police to instigate clashes and violence and use the incident in media abroad. "That was going to happen in the African Super Cup match with Sfaxien team, but the police wonderfully maintained self-restraint," Abdellatif added. "The process of securing games is cumbersome to the Ministry of Interior, but the Ultras proposal to private security companies is good because we will be dedicated to confronting crimes," he said. Egypt is the only country that does not have a stadium meeting the security requirements of the Public Prosecution for holding matches, so the sports bodies need to make new preparations in accordance with law, according to Abdellatif. The minister of youth needs to meet with the Football Association, headed by Gamal Allam and clubs officials to arrange for the security process, he said. The police will continue to secure the current season without audience, he added. Ultras groups issued a joint statement on Monday evening rejecting the presence of police at stadiums. "We reject the presence of Interior Ministry personnel in Egyptian stadiums. Enough of the neglect of the main reason behind all problems in the Egyptian stadiums: police are unable to secure games," read the statement. "Your absence means matches would pass peacefully without problems as the scene can no more bear the presence of us together; either us or you," it added. The statement mentioned that Ultras groups would gather on 15 March to demand the expulsion of police from stadiums.
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284 |
2014-05-08
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/brotherhood-plans-force-government-postpone-elections
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Sources close to the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy said the alliance has devised a plan to force the government to postpone the presidential elections by continuing protests and sit-ins in key areas, such as Tahrir and Rabaa al-Adaweya squares. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The plan also aims to pressure judges not to supervise the elections, which it calls illegitimate. The sources said the alliance is inviting all opposition forces to join the protests, which it considers a matter of life or death and a last hope for the Brotherhood to return to politics. Alliance member Khaled Saeed said the government is bound to postpone the election because the police will not be able to secure it. Alliance spokesperson Magdy Qarqar said a campaign for that purpose is being launched on Facebook and Twitter. His colleague Amr Adel said the alliance is looking for alternatives now that student demonstrations have stopped. Ibrahim al-Mahallawy of the Brotherhood youth said the movements of Ultras Nahdawy, Rabaawy, Hazemoun and Muslim Rebels are planning to take to the streets as well and topple the "military rule." The Brotherhood youth group launched what it called "Molotov Revolution" calling for protesters to bring Molotov cocktails and fireworks to throw at the police during the protests. It is also meeting with Salafi movements to agree on a plan of action as to how to face the security forces. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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285 |
2014-07-27
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/brotherhood-defies-security-organizes-public-eid-prayers
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The Muslim Brotherhood ordered its members on Sunday to prepare public spaces in the squares of all governorates for the Eid prayers irrespective of any warnings from security agencies or the endowments ministry. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The group will also pass out candy and presents to children during Eid and distribute leaflets denouncing the regime, criticizing the economic conditions and the deterioration of Egypt's regional and international status, the leadership's failure to resolve the crisis in Palestine in contrast to what deposed President Morsy did and its refusal to open the Rafah border crossing. Mohamed Abdel Latif of the Brotherhood youths said the Salafis would not be allowed to enter the squares to preach in favor of the regime or to promote themselves for parliamentary elections. "We will not allow them to use religion to control the minds of the ordinary people," he said. "We will march after the prayers to terrorize Sisi's slaves," said Anas Tarek of the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy. "We will show them how many people reject the coup." The Ultras Nahdawy group called on the Brotherhood supporters on Facebook to block the ring road and other main streets and paralyze traffic. They also reportedly urged them to carry Molotov cocktails and fire crackers to defend themselves from the police. Meanwhile, the Salafi Daawa criticized the endowment ministry for refusing to grant its imams that are not registered at Al-Azhar permits to preach at Eid prayers. "We are trying to resolve this problem with the ministry," said Salah Abdel Maboud of the Nour Party. The Daawa also warned its members from coming near Rabaa and al-Nahda squares where the Brotherhood is organizing the prayers. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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286 |
2014-08-17
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/zamalek-club-chief-accuses-ultras-assassination-attempt
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Zamalek Club Chief Mortada Mansour accused the club's White Knights Ultras of being behind his assassination attempt on Sunday. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); "The club's security was suspicious of three ultras members as one of them was talking on the phone about his movements inside the club," Mansour told Al-Masry Al-Youm. The club's security, according to Mansour, handed the three suspects to Giza police. He added that he later withdrew the police report upon the request of the mother of one of the suspects since he had exams. "These incidents took place just before the assassination attempt," Mansour said. Mansour's son, Ahmed, who is a member of the club's board, said on Facebook that "gunshots were fired on the club chief." "Two club workers were injured," he added. "At 3 am, I was standing in front of the club's gate, following up on the installation of security cameras above the gate," Mansour said." When I headed to my car, unknown assailants started shooting, leaving a journalist, a lawyer and a club employee injured as they were standing near the car." "I drove fast to Agouza police station," he added. "The criminals continued shooting at the car and then they disappeared." Mansour added that he received death threats in the form of text messages on his mobile phone, as well as his son's phone, from unknown numbers. Meanwhile, the White Knights Ultras denied Mansour's charges. "You're attacking us to complete your plan of eradicating the youth and give the green light for killing them at their club's gate, claiming self-defense against saboteurs and thugs," the group said. Tensions erupted between Mansour and the Ultras after members of the group attacked the club last month as Mansour attacked them in a press conference during which he announced that Hossam Hassan will be leading the club's team. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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287 |
2014-08-19
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/22-suspects-behind-mansour-s-assassination-attempt
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Giza police said 22 members of Utras White Nights were allegedly involved in trying to assassinate Zamalek Club president Mortada Mansour on Sunday, wounding three of his companions. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Seven suspects were arrested on Monday allegedly in possession of the car and the weapon used in the attack. They were persuaded by a fugitive member named Sayed Moshagheb to assassinate Mansour for preventing the Ultras from attending the soccer team's training. Prosecutors are investigating the suspects at their place of detention in order to avoid having the Ultras gather outside North Giza court. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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288 |
2014-08-20
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/sisi-reportedly-calls-mansour-show-support
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Mortada Mansour, chairman of the Zamalek Club, said that he received a phone call on Wednesday from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to check on him after the assassination attempt on his life earlier this week. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); "Sisi told me that he supports me in the fight against terrorism," Mansour said. Mansour asked Sisi to hold an urgent meeting with the Clubs Committee which the latter agreed to do in 48 hours in order to discuss how to prepare youth who are conscious of the affairs of the nation. He added that he and the Zamalek Club board issued a statement to greet and thank Sisi. Mansour was subjected to an assassination attempt allegedly by the Ultras White Nights group. He had in an earlier statement criticized Sisi for not calling him right after the attempt, while Mubarak, whom he did not know personally, called him after he was involved in a car accident. "All news agencies, the Interior Minister and the Prime Minister called me," he said Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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289 |
2014-08-27
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/suspect-accused-posting-helwan-battalions-internet-arrested
|
Security services arrested on Wednesday the suspect accused of posting "Helwan Battalions" video on the internet, said informed security sources. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The suspect was arrested inside an apartment in Zeitoun district in Cairo. He is called al-Mohammady Mohamed, known as Ortega. He is allegedly a member of the Hazemoun group, led by the Salafist preacher Hazem Abu Ismail, who is imprisoned over inciting violence. He posted the video from an apartment in Nasr City district. Investigations showed that Ortega was the admin of several social media pages and member of White Knights Ultras. He is also a prominent member in the pro-Abu Ismail group called Ahrar. Ortega also, according to investigations, incited against police and military and took part in Rabaa al-Adaweya sit-in. He is also allegedly involved in other nine incidents and was being investigated by security for some time. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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290 |
2014-08-30
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/white-knights-ultras-members-remanded-custody-pending-investigations
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North Cairo Prosecution remanded on Saturday 36 members of White Knights Ultras, fans of Zamalek Club, to 15 days into custody over investigations in clashes that took place on Thursday between them and security troops in Shobra district. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Security earlier arrested 131 members of the White Knights. The march, supposed to reach public prosecutor office, was dispersed. They demanded release of some of their colleagues who were arrested in the recent violence incidents in Zamalek Club. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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291 |
2014-09-21
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/security-source-doma-transferred-prison-undergo-medical-tests
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A security source said on Sunday that political activist Ahmed Doma was transferred from Tora prison hospital to a hospital outside of prison to undergo medical tests. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The tripartite committee of the Forensic Medical Authority that examined Doma to decide if he should be taken to another hospital recommended that he be sent to Kasr Al-Aini hospital for various X-rays, blood work and ultrasound waves on the heart and the abdomen. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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292 |
2014-10-30
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/26-zamalek-soccer-fans-acquitted-rioting-sabotage-charges
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The Sahel Misdemeanor Court acquitted on Thursday 26 members of Ultras White Knights, a group of hardcore fans of Zamalek Sports Club, of charges of breaking the protest law, sabotage and the possession of weapons during a march in Shubra last August. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The young protesters were demanding the release of colleagues detained over alleged assaults on the club's president, Mortada Mansour. Mansour accused members of the group of shooting at him while standing near the club's gate. Relations between Zamalek club and the Ultras worsened over Mansour's frequent criticism of the group's 'fanatic' style. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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293 |
2014-11-15
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/journalists-denied-access-prosecution-zamalek-sc-chief-complaint
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Security officers outside the General Prosecutor's office denied access to journalists who had arrived to file a complaint against Zamalek Sports Club chief Mortada Mansour. The situation developed into wrangles between both sides as journalists chanted slogans against police and Mansour. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The Journalists Syndicate has urged members to take action against Mansour, whose scathing attack against Al-Masry al-Youm triggered outrage among many in the press. Mansour, an influential lawyer famous for his media and judicial wars with several art and sports celebrities, had waged an attack against the editors of the sports page in Al-Masry Al-Youm over an interview with the club's footballer Omar Gaber. In the interview, Gaber, the first football team's midfielder, stressed on the importance of the club's fans' group, Ultras White Knights, and also stressed that the club can not force him to renew his contract. Relations between Mansour and UWK have steeply worsened as the group announced responsibility for assaulting the club's president with trash water last month. He also accused them of targeting him with gunshot in August. Edited translation from Al-Masry al-Youm
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294 |
2014-12-06
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ultras-storm-cairo-stadium-ahead-match
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Some 2,000 Football fans stormed Cairo's main stadium Saturday ahead of a rare match that supporters are allowed to attend, Egypt's Interior Ministry said. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Security officials said they managed to expel fans from the stadium, confiscating 10 bags containing fireworks and banners. The fans entered after a truck broke through a stadium gate, they added. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists. The match_the CAF Confederation Cup championship between Egyptian club Al Ahly and the Ivory Coast's Sewe Sport_is still set to be played as scheduled, the officials said. It will be the first time a team from either country has won the club title. Prior to the storming, the Ministry of Interior released a statement asking fans to cooperate with police securing the match. Al-Ahly supporters known as Ultras, who are deeply politicized, frequently clash with police inside and outside of stadiums. Many participated in the country's 2011 uprising that forced out President Hosni Mubarak. After an outbreak of stadium violence in 2012, most Al-Ahly matches have been closed to the public. During a match that year in Port Said, 74 people, most Al -Ahly fans, were killed in a riot.
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295 |
2015-01-11
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/egyptian-teams-resume-matches-3-years-after-deadly-riots
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Bitter Egyptian rivals Al-Ahly and Al-Masry drew 1-1 on Saturday in their first clash since a 2012 game that ended in deadly stadium riots leaving 72 people killed. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The match was played behind closed doors and at a neutral venue in the Red Sea city of Gouna, far away from Port Said where the riots erupted after the match on February 1, 2012. Seventy-two of Cairo-based Al-Ahly's hard core supporters, known as the Ultras, were killed in the post-match violence in Port Said, home city of the Al-Masry team. Before the match began, Al-Ahly players wore black t-shirts to commemorate the deaths of their fans, and avoided exchanging greetings with the Al-Masry team, an AFP photogrpaher reported. Ahead of the match Al-Ahly players also unfurled a black banner that said: "Our martyrs are a badge on our chests". Families of those killed in 2012 had called for Al-Ahly to boycott the match but the club's management decided to go ahead with it. Saturday's match was played as a court held a hearing in the retrial of 73 defendants, including nine policemen, accused of killing the Al-Ahly supporters. It later scheduled the next hearing on Sunday. The riots, considered the deadliest in Egypt's sports history, were largely blamed on supporters of veteran leader Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in early 2011 after a popular uprising. Since 2012, Egypt's premier league championship has been split into two groups to ensure the two teams never played against each other, except potentially in a final, although that didn't happen. However, for the 2015 season the league has reverted to a single group, which brought the two teams face to face on Saturday. Since the riots, football fans have been largely banned from attending league matches, but limited numbers of spectators were allowed during international games whether played by clubs or the national team.
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296 |
2015-01-26
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/white-knights-mobilizes-members-support-team-match-against-ahly
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White Knights Ultras, fans of Zamalek Club, explained its call on members to gather outside the club Monday at 2 pm to support the team before its match with Ahly Club. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); In a statement published on Facebook on Sunday, the group said, "For those seeking warmth in the cold winter, you who hope for drop of water in our years of drought, you who hope for beam of light in this gloomy darkness..you who believed, loved and sacrificed..you who cried, rejoiced and chanted... you who trusted, promised and fulfilled... Rise up. It's the time of men." "We never doubted that we would return back to our citadel. We always bet on its guards of loyal fans. Let's put what divides us aside and bury what hurts us in tombs that no one knows its way," the statement added. The stressed members must wear any of the club's uniforms. The die-hard group has been in conflict with the Club President Mortada Mansour after he denied them access to some games. Tensions also erupted between them after members of the group attacked the club in July after Mansour attacked them in a press conference during which he announced that Hossam Hassan will be leading the club's team. In August, Mansour survived an assassination attempt, which he accused the Ultras of being behind it. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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297 |
2015-01-27
|
https://www.egyptindependent.com/urgent-matters-cites-lack-jurisdiction-declare-hamas-and-ultras-terrorist-organizations
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The Cairo Court of Urgent Matters said it has turned down two lawsuits demanding to declare Hamas and Ultras as a terrorist organizations due to lack of jurisdiction. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The first lawsuit against Hamas was filed by lawyer Samir Sabry, who claimed that Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal is behind the attacks on the Egyptian army in Sinai. He also claimed that Meshaal met with Fathi Hamad, the former interior minister in the Hamas government, Momtaz Daghmash, commander of the Palestinian Islam Army, Abdallah al-Ashqar, head of the Mujahideen Shura Council, and Abdel Rahman al-Gamal and Hussein al-Juhainy of the al-Aqsa Protectors Organization to plan the attacks. He said the bombing of the Karam al-Qawadis checkpoint in northern Sinai was planned by all Hamas leaders and funded by Qatar, based on information provided by Turkish intelligence. He also said Hamas is fighting the Egyptian people because they ousted the Muslim Brotherhood. The second lawsuit was filed by the chairman of the Zamalek football club. His lawyers presented a video of the Ultras burning the Football Federation headquarters, storming the Ahly and Zamalek football clubs and the headquarters of the state security apparatus, and attempting to assassinate former Sports Minister Farouk al-Amiry. Welcoming the ruling, Hamas leading figure Ismail Radwan said it proves that Hamas is a Palestinian movement that does not interfere in internal affairs, and hoped it would rearrange the relationship between Hamas and Egypt to serve the Palestinian cause. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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298 |
2015-02-02
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/football-fans-suez-commemorate-2012-stadium-catastrophe
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The hardcore group of Ahly club fans, Ultras Ahlawy, went on a massive march with fireworks in the streets of Suez commemorating the 2012 soccer stadium catastrophe in neighboring Port Said which left dozens dead. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); In a video by Al-Masry Al-Youm, raucous protesters are seen marching through the city's streets as red smoke from their fireworks covered the scene to mark the third anniversary of the death of 72 Ahly Club fans by supporters of the rival team during a premier league match against Port Said's al-Masry. The retrial is ongoing for 73 people charged with murder during the worst sports catastrophe in Egypt's history. The Port Said Criminal Court had previously sentenced 21 to death, acquitted 28 and sentenced 16 to 10-15 years. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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299 |
2015-02-04
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/standing-trial-libel-media-host-ahmed-moussa-apologizes-lawyer
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Controversial media host Ahmed Moussa has apologized to a lawyer whose lawsuit against him resulted in a six-month prison term and a LE5,000 fine over charges of libel and slander. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); At the beginning of his show on Sada el-Balad satellite channel late Tuesday, Moussa apologized to Awady for accusing him of involvement in crimes punishable by the law. He said his allegations were based on wrong information from Zamalek Sports club chief, Mortada Mansour. Awady is one of the lawyers representing Ultras White Knights, the hardcore Zamalek fan group that has been at a media war with Mansour who once accused group members of attempting to assassinate him. A court had set 17 February as a date to consider Moussa's appeal to the prison sentence in this case. This is not the first libel case against Moussa as he had been sentenced to prison and fined in similar cases brought by democracy activist Siraa Abdel Fattah and Cairo Appeals Court Judge Zakariya Abdel Aziz.
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300 |
2015-02-05
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/problems-ultras-threaten-football-league
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Fritction between the hardcore football fan clubs of Ultras Ahlawy and Zamalek's White Knights on the one hand, and the officials of the clubs and the Football Association on the other, could be threatening the football league. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The Ultras Ahlawy insist on attending all matches of the second round, beginning with the match against the Police Union Club on Saturday, while the other club insists on holding the match without spectators. The group told 10,000 fans on Facebook to attend the match, saying the Ahly Club is in third place and needs the support of its fans. For his part, Ahly Club Manager Mahmoud Allam said the Police Union Club is responsible for securing the match. "According to the bylaws, we will win if the match is cancelled because spectators stormed the stadium," he said. "How would I know they are our Ultras? They could be other groups that want us to be penalized." "We will insist that the police union fans do not attend the match," he said. "We cannot control the behavior of the spectators," he said. "This is up to the security services to do." He said the Ahly Club is allowing its fans to attend the match with Wadi Degla with no restrictions. Meanwhile, the White Knights refused to sign applications to attend matches, as was ordered by the president of the Zamalek Club. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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301 |
2015-02-08
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/update-1-fourteen-egyptian-football-fans-killed-clash-security-forces
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At least 14 Egyptian football fans were killed in clashes that broke out on Sunday night when security forces barred them from entering a stadium, hospital doctors told Reuters. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The trouble happened at a match between two Cairo clubs, Zamalek and Enppi. Police used teargas to disperse the crowd, security forces said. The health ministry said 20 people were injured but did not confirm any deaths. The doctors said the deaths were due to suffocation. A witness said some of the fans were killed in a stampede after the police fired teargas. "Huge numbers of Zamalek club fans came to Air Defense Stadium to attend the match ... and tried to storm the stadium gates by force, which prompted the troops to prevent them from continuing the assault," the interior ministry said in a statement, without giving more details. Egypt has curbed the number of people allowed into soccer matches since a riot at a stadium in Port Said in February 2012 when more than 70 fans were killed. Since then, supporter groups have often tried to storm soccer grounds that they are banned from entering. Relations between security forces and fan groups like Ultras Ahlawy which supports Al-Ahly, and Ultra White Knights of Zamalek, have been tense since the 2011 popular uprising that ended the rule of veteran autocrat Hosni Mubara in which the Ultras groups played a key role.
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302 |
2015-02-08
|
https://www.egyptindependent.com/update-least-22-egyptian-football-fans-killed-clash-security-forces
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Twenty-two people were killed outside an Egyptian football stadium on Sunday when security forces barred fans from entering, the public prosecutor's office said. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Most of the dead were suffocated when the crowd stampeded after police used tear gas to clear the fans trying to force their way into a league match between two Cairo clubs, Zamalek and Enppi, doctors and witnesses said. A health ministry spokesman told Reuters by phone the final toll was 19 dead and 20 injured. The reason for the discrepancy in numbers between the health ministry and the public prosecutor's office was not immediately clear. Football matches are often a flashpoint for violence in Egypt where 72 fans were killed at a match in Port Said in February 2012. Since then Egypt has curbed the number of people allowed to attend, and supporters have often tried to storm stadiums they are banned from entering. Outside the Cairo hospital treating the injured, scores of youths wearing Zamalek T-shirts appeared shocked as families arrived to see if their relatives were safe. One mother cried and shouted when she found the name of her son on a list of the dead posted by hospital staff. "I'd told him: leave football matches," she said. Relations between security forces and fan groups known as Ultras have been tense since the 2011 popular uprising that ended the rule of autocrat Hosni Mubarak, in which the Ultras played a key role. "Huge numbers of Zamalek club fans came to Air Defense Stadium to attend the match ... and tried to storm the stadium gates by force, which prompted the troops to prevent them from continuing the assault," the interior ministry said. The public prosecution ordered the arrest of the leaders of the Zamalek supporters group, Ultras White Knights, after Sunday's incident, official media reported. On their Facebook page, the Ultras White Knights described the 22 dead as "martyrs" and accused security forces of a "massacre". Despite the violence, the match went ahead and ended with a 1-1 draw. The Egyptian Football Federation said it had reversed an earlier decision to allow fans to return to the stadiums by the start of the second half of the season. The original decision had been taken only a few days ago. Shortly after that, the Cabinet said in a statement that the national league championship would be postponed indefinitely.
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303 |
2015-02-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/ahly-football-official-laments-killing-zamalek-fans-massacre
|
Ahly football team director Juan Carlos Garrido expressed deep sorrow for what happened at the Air Defense Stadium during a match between Zamalek and ENPPI on Sunday evening, saying it was a new massacre. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Garrido added in a statement on Twitter, "What happened was a very great tragedy to Egyptian football and to (football) fans in general." "What happened was impossible and unbelievable, and I feel the incident was brutal and terrible and eliminated the beautiful meaning and sportsmanship of football," he added. Garrido went on to express his condolences to the families of the deceased and their friends. The Ultras Ahlawy also expressed sincere condolences to the fans of the Zamalek Club and announced its members would not attend any matches during the current league over the incident. The Ahly ultras also released a statement that read, "The 2012 league was canceled over the bloodshed of Al-Ahly (fans) martyrs. Today in 2015 martyrs fall from Zamalek, and their only mistake was in supporting their team." The Ultras Devils in turn expressed regret over the incident and deprecated the Interior Ministry. It announced solidarity with Zamalek fans to regain the rights of its martyrs. The Ultras Devils said they would not attend the match scheduled between the Al-Ahly and Wadi Degla teams. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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304 |
2015-02-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/cabinet-postpones-premier-league-indefinitely
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A Cabinet spokesperson decided on Monday to postpone premier league matches indefinitely following clashes that took place between the police and the Ultras of the Zamalek Club on Sunday, which left 22 dead. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); According to the prosecutor's office, security prevented fans access to the stadium where a Zamalek vs Enppi match was taking place. In a press release, the spokesperson said, "Due to the death and injuries among fans as a result of a stampede, the premier league will be postponed indefinitely." Egyptian football matches have often broken out in violence, such as in 2012 when 72 fans were killed during a match in Port Said. In an effort to curb violence, authorities have moved to limit the amount of spectators that can attend matches, though fans have often tried to break into stadiums when they are forbidden from entering. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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305 |
2015-02-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/head-egypt-football-team-says-police-did-not-kill-fans
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The head of Egypt's second largest football team says he doesn't blame police for deaths of 22 fans during clashes and a stampede in front of a Cairo stadium. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Mortada Mansour, head of the Zamalek team, told a private Egyptian TV station that police did not open fire on fans, and that Sunday's violence was "orchestrated" to foil upcoming parliamentary elections. Mansour, a well-known lawyer, is a staunch supporter of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the former army chief who has waged a sweeping crackdown on dissent since the military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Authorities say the violence began when hundreds of hard-core Zamalek fans known as Ultras White Knights tried to force their way into the stadium to attend a soccer match without tickets.
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306 |
2015-02-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/journalists-denounce-reporter-s-death-sunday-stadium-violence
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An independent committee of journalists denounced the death of a reporter during the violence that broke out between police and football fans on Sunday. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); The Committee to Defend Press Independence voiced its, "Deep sorrow for the continuing death of journalists and press interns who carried out their jobs at various locations." It mourned reporter Sherif al-Fiqqi who died in clashes between soccer fans and police outside the Air Defense Stadium. In an ironic twist, Fiqqi had presented his own views of the last football tragedy in Egypt three years ago. "Today marks an incident that we will never forget no matter how much time passes: the Port Said massacre which left 74 Ahly Club fans dead. We will never forget you...Retribution," Fiqqi posted on 1 February on his Facebook page, referring to Egypt's worst sports catastrophe in 2012. At least 22 were declared dead among the Ultras White Knights, the organized Zamalek Sports Club fan group, after a reported stampede coincided with tear gas fired by police inside the stadium. The catastrophe preceded a premier league match between Zamalek and ENPPI. The committee's statement blamed the deaths on the persistent "political and security instability". Committee reporter Bashir al-Adl said, "The protection of citizens is primarily the responsibility of security authorities," adding that, "Endangering their lives reflects a deficiency in the protection measures that requires legal accountability for those who caused and plotted it." Al-Adl urged an investigation into all incidents that have led to the death of journalists as well as citizens. Since the uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011, 11 Egyptian and foreign journalists have been killed on duty while covering various incidents of violence.
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307 |
2015-02-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/mortada-mansour-says-police-did-not-kill-fans
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The head of Egypt's second largest football team says he doesn't blame police for deaths of 22 fans during clashes and a stampede in front of a Cairo stadium. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); Mortada Mansour, head of the Zamalek team, told a private Egyptian TV station that police did not open fire on fans, and that Sunday's violence was "orchestrated" to foil upcoming parliamentary elections. Mansour, a well-known lawyer, is a staunch supporter of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the former army chief who has waged a sweeping crackdown on dissent since the military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Authorities say the violence began when hundreds of hard-core Zamalek fans known as Ultras White Knights tried to force their way into the stadium to attend a soccer match without tickets.
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308 |
2015-02-09
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https://www.egyptindependent.com/omar-gaber-man-stance
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AMAY quoted a Zamalek source saying that its president Mortada Mansour unilaterally decided to terminate the player's contract. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1488287610204-3'); }); He might not be a football star as such. In fact, he may be less than his teammates in terms of skills. Yet the fans love him for his stances. They do not care if he has skills as long as he is loyal to his team. Omar Jaber was born on 30 January 1992. He is the right back of the Zamalek Football Club. Hossam Hassan included him in the first team when he was assigned as coach. He was the first player to stand with the Ultras White Knights on 19 September 2013 when Amr Hussein of the Ultras group died in a demonstration against Mamdouh Abbas, the president of the club at the time. A year later, Gaber visited Hussein's tomb on the first commemoration of his death. In November 2014, Gaber was almost dismissed from the team when he praised the White Knights, saying: "They are part of our fans. I love them. My relationship with them is eternal. They are like anyone else in society who may make mistakes. Like Amr Hussein, they sacrifice themselves for Zamalek. They sell their mobile phones and laptops to buy tickets and attend the matches. I did not do anything wrong when I wore the T-shirt of one of them." "The last words Amr Hussein wrote on Facebook were about me," he said. "How can I forget that?" In a program on Al-hayat 2 satellite channel, Zamalek Club Chairman Mortada Mansour said he will ask the Egyptian Football Association and the International Federation to dismiss Gaber for supporting the Ultras. He also said that he will file a complaint against him with the prosecutor general. "Gaber became a member of an armed terrorist group against which the Football Association and the Olympic Committee had issued a strongly worded statement," he said. "I will make sure he does not touch a ball in Zamalek or any other club in the world." When 19 people died outside the Airforce Stadium on 8 February, Gaber was the only player who refused to play the match, prompting the chairman of the club to suspend him indefinitely. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
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