Thoughts about Egypt's crap

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.