43 arrested after Palestine solidarity protests briefly reach Tahrir

Forty-three people were arrested on Friday in demonstrations across Cairo, according to defense lawyer Khaled Ali, after crowds briefly reached Tahrir Square where public protests have not been seen for years. 

Thousands of people gathered on Friday in central Cairo, Giza, Alexandria and elsewhere in the country to show solidarity with Palestinains under fire in the Gaza Strip. 

Gaza has been subject to almost two weeks of continuous airstrikes, its population of 2.2 million has seen its water, fuel, and food and medical supplies cut off by the Israeli government. Successive airstrikes on the Rafah border crossing, as well as long-winded negotiations have hampered the delivery of aid from Egypt into the strip. 

State-aligned parties and bodies had called on Egyptians to protest, with police and security forces deployed to prevent the crowds from spreading,  telling people to leave Tahrir and Mostafa Mahmoud Square in Mohandeseen, Giza.

Hundreds of people began demonstrations in front of Al-Azhar Mosque following prayers on Friday. Security forces were deployed in large numbers in the area and blocked the roads leading from Al-Azhar to a number of western embassies in Downtown. 

Crowds later moved toward Tahrir Square raising calls for Palestine, chanting “long live a free, Arab Palestine.”

Others chanted to reject calls for Friday’s protests to be held in support of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s national leadership and his response to the war on Gaza. “This protest is real, not to mandate anyone,” people shouted. 

Twenty-six people were arrested from the crowds at Tahrir Square, said Ali in a statement on social media, while a further 17 were arrested in Abdeen. 

Governmental entities and state-aligned political parties had called for the protests to be held on Friday in Cairo and at designated sites in other governorates to support and grant a “mandate” to Egypt’s leadership during the war, after Sisi made a public show of rejecting a purported plan to resettle Palestinians in Sinai. Members of the opposition also called for “mandating” the president to fulfill his duties in that regard.

People in civilian clothing attempted to deter protesters, but crowds pushed on to reach Tahrir Square regardless. Police later approached protesters and told them to return home.

Demonstrations were initially broadcast live on satellite television channels and by news outlets, with music playing in the background and no live sound being transmitted.

As demonstrations moved toward Tahrir Square, camera lenses on live broadcasts cut to other designated protest sites. Here, chants included affirmations of support for the president, including, “We’ve mandated you, we’ve mandated you, all the public is with you, Sisi.”

Calls for protests were announced on Wednesday by Nation’s Future Party and Homeland Defenders Party, both of which are considered close to the regime, as well as by a number of pro-Sisi online accounts. Lists of designating public squares where protests would be allowed were also circulated. 

Demonstrations have taken place nationwide since Wednesday, when Sisi stated in a televised press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that Israel and “anyone who cares about peace in the region” that millions of Egyptians could potentially protest the displacement of Palestinians out of Gaza. 

 Just a few hours later, student unions organized marches at a number of universities. State-aligned parties called for popular rallies, which were covered by television channels owned by the intelligence-affiliated United Media Services. 

University protests continued for a second day, into Thursday, in Cairo, Alexandria and other governorates, with Alexandria University engineering students organizing a protest in their faculty and holding Palestinian flags, all while security forces enclosed the college’s surroundings to prevent protests from moving to the streets.

A women’s protest was also held on Thursday outside the Cairo headquarters of the Journalists Syndicate, where attendees wore the colors of the Palestinian flag.

Meanwhile, at the House of Representatives, lawmakers held an emergency session on Thursday headed by House Undersecretary Ahmed Saad al-Din to discuss the repercussions of the war on Palestine. An emergency session had also been held on Wednesday at the Senate, with senators agreeing to grant Sisi a public mandate to take the necessary measures to protect national security and support the Palestinian cause.

Saad al-Din demanded that parliaments around the world adopt decisions condemning Israeli violations of Palestinian lands and guarantee protection to civilians in line with international conventions and humanitarian regulations.