The media wrote that there were large-scale anti-government protests in Cairo: what is the reality

The media wrote that there were large-scale anti-government protests in Cairo: how is it really Irina Chebotnikova

On the evening of December 23, Egypt was rocked by serious protests. The media writes that people took to the streets to criticize the regime. However, some of the videos turned out to be old. Channel 24 collected the details.

At the end of November, Egypt, Turkey and even Iran refused to supply fruits and vegetables to Russia. The reason is the collapse of the ruble. Moscow considered Cairo friendly.

“The people want the regime to fall”: what they wrote about the protests in Egypt

According to local media reports, hundreds of people came out to the central square. They are chanting anti-government slogans. In the videos being distributed, you can see that many are filming the events on their phones. The protesters are also walking through the streets and tearing down posters with al-Sisi's image.

Watch the video of protests in Egypt

Among the slogans is alleged criticism of the country's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. As well as “Ash-shaʻb yurīd isqāṭ an-niẓām” – a popular slogan during the Arab Spring. The phrase literally translates as “the people want to overthrow the regime.” It was chanted during the 2011 revolution in Egypt.

Al-Sisi came to power in a coup d'état in 2013. The following year, he was elected president of the country.

Now they are reporting that the anti-presidential protests are related to dissatisfaction with politics and the economic situation, the suppression of freedoms and corruption. The authorities have not yet commented on them.

Is it true that there are protests in Egypt

The Middle East Spectator channel reported that some of the videos being distributed are old. They date back to 2019, which is when the last major protests took place in Egypt.

However, the videos are still being checked, so it is impossible to say for sure that all the published videos are old. At the same time, major international media have not yet written about the protests in Egypt.

However, it is known for sure that the al-Sisi government is suppressing the protests. Amnesty International has written about this on numerous occasions. For example, in July 2024, about a hundred people were detained for calling for protests, including making posts on social media. Security forces came to their homes and workplaces.

The authorities accused these people of joining a terrorist group, publishing false news, and abusing social media. Some were interrogated blindfolded and without a lawyer.

There is growing discontent in Egypt among people struggling to meet their basic needs amid sharp increases in food and fuel prices and a shortage of medicines across the country. In January 2024, Egyptians were hit by a series of price hikes, including for telecommunications and metro tickets, human rights activists write.

And in July 2023, the Egyptian government imposed two-hour daily power outages in almost all regions of the country.