Egypt quietly marked the fifth anniversary of the January 25 revolution despite the popularity of anti-government hashtags on social media. While at least two protests with dozens of alleged Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators were dispersed, Tahrir Square saw small groups of pro-government demonstrators chanting in Sisi’s favour and handing out flowers to police. In recent days, activists have been vocal on social media, with some calling Egypt more repressive than ever before. “The level of repression now is significantly higher than it was under the Mubarak regime, and people from older generations say it is worse than even the worst periods of the 1950s and 1960s [under the rule of Gamal Abdel Nasser],” said investigative journalist Hossam Bahgat, who was detained in late 2015 by Egypt’s military intelligence, to the Guardian. 6 April Youth Movement had issued a statement on Sunday declaring that they will not hold any demonstrations, calling on people to wear black as a sign of “refusal of the state the country has reached”. On the same day, the Muslim Brotherhood, while not calling for any action, said in a statement that there shall not be “any compromise nor…
Egypt Quiet As Fifth Anniversary of January 25 Revolution Comes and Goes
January 25, 2016
