Construction worker arrested in Warraq, released after residents protested

Police released a construction carpenter from Warraq island on Thursday afternoon after dozens of residents protested his arrest outside the island’s checkpoint earlier in the day. 

He was apprehended early on Thursday while working on the roof of a house, according to a resident who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity.

The government has banned new construction on Warraq, which was categorized in a 2020 decree as subject to a replanning process. 

Residents of the island have opposed security authorities efforts to displace them from the land or dispossess them of their homes for years, as well as opposing offers for insufficient rates of compensation amid surging living costs due to the country’s entrenched economic crisis. 

Police have responded by tightening security on the island, inspecting ferries thoroughly and confiscating construction materials. 

Security efforts resurfaced in recent months to evict the residents from their homes, including the forgery of consent forms to legitimize dispossession at low rates of compensation. 

To try and secure fairer rates of compensation in the event that they are forced to leave, some residents of the island are attempting to undertake new construction, the source explained to Mada Masr on Thursday. "Compensation for an empty plot is LE1,400 per square meter, while built land is compensated at LE4,000 per square meter with an additional LE7,000 for the building itself,” the source said. 

“So, it makes sense for people to try to build on vacant plots to ensure higher compensation, which, along with what they will get for their original homes, could help them afford alternative housing off the island."