Vol. 78/No. 5      February 10, 2014

Organizers of the demonstration used the occasion to rally support for the current government and the military that stands behind it, as well promote the election of Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi in a presidential vote planned for the coming months.

The day before the Jan. 25 rallies, which took place in many cities throughout the country, there were four terrorist bombings in the Cairo area. Four people were killed in the most deadly attack, which targeted a police facility. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group based in the Sinai Peninsula, claimed responsibility. The Egyptian government, which was installed by the military following the ouster of the discredited Muslim Brotherhood regime of President Mohammed Morsi last June, has seized on such attacks as a pretext to curb political rights and garner support for the military’s moves to reassert its dominant political role and the el-Sissi candidacy.

“Seventy percent of Egyptians support el-Sissi,” said a hotel worker who also works for the government and asked that his name not be used. “We are against these bombings and disruptions. We need stability.” He said that he sees the military leader as the best hope to bring order and employment, given the increasingly dire economic circumstances facing workers throughout the country. “There is no tourism in Egypt since 2011 and many factories have closed down. It is very difficult.”

While most participants at the Jan. 25 rally held signs in support of el-Sissi, many of their concerns were similar to those who marched in smaller demonstrations against military authority and the Muslim Brotherhood.

“We need jobs and financial security, but we also need freedoms,” said Mona Sadek, a young woman who has been unemployed since graduating from school a year ago. “That is what we fought for beginning Jan. 25, 2011, and we are sticking to our demands.”

Sadek joined about 1,000 protesters, who met in front of the Journalists Union headquarters to demand an end to military tribunals and for a government without military or Islamist rule. The military broke up the demonstration as it began marching toward Tahrir Square, firing tear gas canisters at protesters and bystanders along the busy Ramses Street shopping area.

The Egyptian government health ministry issued a statement Jan. 26 saying 49 people were killed during clashes the previous day.

“The police out in force on Jan. 25 were not there for the protection of citizens,” said Mahmod Salama, a construction worker from Ismailiya, in a phone interview. “They were there to protect the interests of others. The current government has not implemented a single demand that has been fought for by the working class and the unions over the last three years.

“Yesterday, at the protests many youth were killed. These were not Muslim Brotherhood activists or terrorists. I think that it was an error for them to protest that day and I tried to convince those I knew not to go because of the dangers. I did not join the celebrations or the protests.

“Even if you have legitimate demands, like trade union demands, you will be painted with the brush of being part of the Muslim Brotherhood. That is why people are worried about protesting for their rights at this time,” said Salama.

The Egyptian government has placed a high priority on creating an impression of stability and order. This is evident in the attention being given to organizing a successful 45th Cairo International Book Fair, which has been canceled or curtailed each year since the fall of Mubarak in 2011. The fair, which runs this year from Jan. 22 through Feb. 6, is the largest annual cultural gathering in the Middle East, attracting authors, publishers and booksellers from throughout Egypt and the region. Some 500 booksellers from Egypt and 200 from the Middle East are taking part and tight security has been set up against any disruption.

Georges Mehrabian contributed to this article.
 
 
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