Egypt is revolting …..Again?!
Ahmed Abou Taleb
One would think, after
following the media’s narratives about the latest turmoil in Egypt, that the
situation is as classical as the Egyptian revolution that took place two years
ago: people VS the governor. But the fact is, since the SCAF has handed the
power to Mohamed Mursi, the Muslim Brotherhood winning presidential candidate,
the political scene in Egypt has been getting increasingly complicated. Several
factors have been responsible for that.
New “players”
After 21 of the individuals
charged with murder, in the Port Said Stadium events, have been sentenced to
death, violence erupted in Port Said but joy overwhelmed Cairo. Families of the convicts accompanied by the
city football club’s fan association attacked the prison for long hours trying
to free their charged relatives. Meanwhile, the Cairo based Ahly club fan
association celebrated joyfully the sentence after 71 of its members have been
killed in the stadium events in late 2012.
These events don’t only mark the
tension between two clubs and their supporters all over the country but also
the politicization of these youth associations. These fan clubs have been
widely involved in politics since the revolution and were responsible for a
series of political violence incidents that took place since Mubarak’s
resignation in February 2011.
Lately, a new youth group has
joined this violent struggle. The newly launched “Black Block” has used both
violence and road cutting as techniques to pressure the government and oppose
the president. However, claiming to be the guardian of the revolution doesn’t
seem to be an enough reason to make people forgive the damage they cause to the
daily life of an already suffering population.
A representative
opposition?!
In fact, the complexity isn’t
only due to the involvement of new actors but also due to the absence of some
non represented factions whose silence leaves hollow gaps in Egypt’s political
scene. Despite its lately formed large
coalition known as the National Salvation Front, the Egyptian opposition has
failed to be a representative of the majority of those unfavorable of Mursi.
Whilst a majority of citizens
disapprove of attacking police stations, local government buildings and cutting
roads, several opposition spokesmen and figures haven’t showed the same
feelings. On talk shows, they reluctantly blame such actions and insistently
justify it by the fury of youth rebels against a failing regime. This fury
theory might be right to some extent. But the recent attacks on prisons in Port
Said & Suez have directly threatened the security of people and left them
unsure about the identity of those demonstrating in the streets. Moreover, it left them doubtful about the
relation between the opposition and those responsible for violence.
A police under fire
Meanwhile, the tension that
ravishes the society and its institutions has extended to reach critical
government bodies such as the police. Policemen chased their minister away
during a funeral of one of their colleagues because of the non sufficient
arming. Over 120 police officers and central security forces soldiers have died
in both criminal and politically motivated attacks against them during the last
few months.
The Egyptian police have been a
constant element of the ongoing problem.
One of the main causes of the revolution in 2011 was its brutality. On
the one hand, one of the main criticisms to the post revolution governments is
the incompetency of the police forces to provide security. On the other hand,
police personnel themselves complain they are always under accusation whether
they attempted to enforce law or to respect human rights.
Lacking the ability to reach a
balance between law enforcement and respecting human rights makes it necessary
for the police to undergo structural changes and doctrine reforms while being
under fire.
Most Egyptians
feel to a great extent confused and ignored. While political activists and political
parties are struggling with the president to share power, people are suffering
more and more the security void and the bad economic conditions. People are not
only being divided on issues like the constitution but also the legitimacy of
the president, the demands of the opposition and the priority of issues to put
on top of the political agenda. The
renewed cycle of politically motivated violence makes a lot of people ask if
politics is worth all that bloodshed.
