Assault on Gaza reignites suppressed activism in Egypt

The protests that erupted across Egypt last week to denounce the Israeli onslaught on Gaza drew crowds that were reminiscent of the 2011 revolution, human rights campaigners say.

On Friday, thousands of protesters burst through security barricades and flooded Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the 18-day revolution of January 2011 that culminated in the resignation of then-President Hosni Mubarak.

The demonstrators stayed in Tahrir for under an hour before they were evicted by the police, with over 100 people reportedly detained that day in connection with pro-Palestine protests in Cairo and Alexandria. 

According to activists in Cairo, public displays of solidarity with Palestinians had, until recently, been limited to posts on social media, amid fears of arrest stoked by crackdowns on supporters of opposition hopeful Ahmed el-Tantawi.

But on Wednesday 11 October,  a small protest gathered outside the Journalist's Syndicate.

Two days later, worshippers at the Al-Azhar mosque erupted in protest after the Friday prayers. 

For the full story, click on the link below. 
 

Read more: Assault on Gaza reignites suppressed activism in Egypt