# Back to Tahrir



## aykalam

The Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm the Freedom and Justice Party are organizing a massive rally on Thursday to protest the acquittals in the "Battle of the Camel" trial.

The Cairo Criminal Court on Wednesday acquitted 24 suspects of killing protesters during the assault on Tahrir Square on 2 and 3 February 2011. No prior date had been set for the verdict. The court decision sparked public ire, with many saying criminals continue to escape punishment.

Muslim Brotherhood Secretary General Mahmoud Hussein said in a statement that the group and other political powers plan to protest Thursday to express the people's anger at the ruling. They also said they will stage another protest on Friday in Tahrir to call for the retrial of all those acquitted of killing protesters.

He added that the demonstrations will call on President Mohamed Morsy to fulfill his pledge to punish the people responsible for protester deaths. He said the group, like the rest of the country, was shocked at the ruling which was issued due to the lack of sufficient evidence and the tampering of indicting evidence.

Essam al-Erian, acting president of the FJP, called on young party members to join the rallies on Thursday and Friday.

The Union of Revolution Youth and the April 6 Youth Movement said they would participate in protests Thursday.

Criminal courts have acquitted several other suspects charged with killing protesters during the 25 January revolution. The most notable acquittal was of six former high-ranking Interior Ministry officials tried alongslide former President Hosni Mubarak.

Ayman al-Sayyad, a presidential adviser, said on Twitter that recognizing the revolution "requires political accountability and revolutionary trials." He said no revolution in the world has led to the trial of the ousted regime by criminal courts. In other countries, deposed leaders are sometimes tried by special tribunals.

"These are not drug smuggling cases, people," he said.

Brotherhood, activists to protest Camel Battle acquittals | Egypt Independent


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## Sonrisa

The Big Pharaoh (@TheBigPharaoh)
11/10/2012 09:21
MB joining the protests on #Oct12. They remind me of Qaddafi when he joined one of the first protests in Libya. LOL


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## MaidenScotland

Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi has removed Prosecutor General Abdel Maguid Mahmoud from his post.

He was appointed envoy to the Vatican, with Mr Mursi's office giving no official reason for the switch.

But Mr Maguid later said he would stay in his post in defiance of Mr Mursi's order, state-run Mena news agency said.

The row comes a day after 24 supporters of ousted President Hosni Mubarak were acquitted of organising attacks on protesters during last year's uprising.

Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in the capital Cairo against the acquittals.

They accused the judges of "complicity" with the former Egyptian leadership and said they wanted to "purify justice".


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## aykalam

Scuffles between pro and anti-Morsi this morning in Tahrir


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## MaidenScotland

Are the anti morsi called the Lifeboys? lol


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## aykalam

In Pictures: Night Clashes in Tahrir Square - Daily News Egypt


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## MaidenScotland

“This is what the Brotherhood do, they allow no space for different views.” 


Ashraf, a store attendant in Talaat Harb street, near Tahrir


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## aykalam

Yesterday was further evidence of how tolerant and moderate the political factions are in Egypt


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## MaidenScotland

You have to laugh when they denied being there and then when photographic evidence was produced.. silence,


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## Sonrisa

Am I the only one who is starting to find these friday protest not only very predictable, bit utterly ridiculous and pointless.

They all follow the same format, a group of very bored and frustrated individuals flock to tahrir, hurl stones at each other, and then, as the night falls and they run out of stones, it all ends up setting a cAr or other vehicle on fire. Yet another idillyc friday in Cairo gone by.


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## aykalam

Sonrisa said:


> Am I the only one who is starting to find these friday protest not only very predictable, bit utterly ridiculous and pointless.
> 
> They all follow the same format, a group of very bored and frustrated individuals flock to tahrir, hurl stones at each other, and then, as the night falls and they run out of stones, it all ends up setting a cAr or other vehicle on fire. Yet another idillyc friday in Cairo gone by.


Except now at least half of the people who went down to Tahrir were government supporters, so who are they protesting against? The MB leadership called for these people to go and protest. What kind of mango republic leaders do that? More than predictable, I find it worrying.


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## MaidenScotland

The job of managing Egypt is too big for anyone who has no experience, the whole voting system would be a joke if Egypt wasn't hurting so much.


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## Sonrisa

aykalam said:


> Except now at least half of the people who went down to Tahrir were government supporters, so who are they protesting against? The MB leadership called for these people to go and protest. What kind of mango republic leaders do that? More than predictable, I find it worrying.


I think the protest was supposed to be against Mubarak era judges that have aquinted those responsible for the attack, injuries and deaths of many paceful protesters during the Egyptian revolution. A noble but hopeless cause. But as usual, the protest, arguably, called by MB leaders, predictably (and worringly) ends up in a stone throwing match and one bus less on egyptians roads. 

My opinion? Just mere distraction. a show. Or a way to keep the protest scene under control, just because Real protests are just around the corner when gas subsidises cuts will come into effect possibly after EID, and maybe the subsidised bread sometime during winter.


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## MaidenScotland

Sonrisa said:


> I think the protest was supposed to be against Mubarak era judges that have aquinted those responsible for the attack, injuries and deaths of many paceful protesters during the Egyptian revolution. A noble but hopeless cause. But as usual, the protest, arguably, called by MB leaders, predictably (and worringly) ends up in a stone throwing match and one bus less on egyptians roads.
> 
> My opinion? Just mere distraction. a show. Or a way to keep the protest scene under control, just because Real protests are just around the corner when gas subsidises cuts will come into effect possibly after EID, and maybe the subsidised bread sometime during winter.




got to agree.. I think the **** will hit the fan when the lifting of subsidies come into force. The country can't afford them and it is the easiest way to raise revenue not the fairest but the easiest.


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## aykalam

Sonrisa said:


> I think the protest was supposed to be against Mubarak era judges that have aquinted those responsible for the attack, injuries and deaths of many paceful protesters during the Egyptian revolution. A noble but hopeless cause. But as usual, the protest, arguably, called by MB leaders, predictably (and worringly) ends up in a stone throwing match and one bus less on egyptians roads.
> 
> My opinion? Just mere distraction. a show. Or a way to keep the protest scene under control, just because Real protests are just around the corner when gas subsidises cuts will come into effect possibly after EID, and maybe the subsidised bread sometime during winter.


the judges business was just an excuse since the government had proposed the prosecutor general as ambassador to the Vatican two weeks earlier, so they were planning to remove him anyway. Although as we know, he was not very impressed with the plans made for him...the real purpose was to disrupt the original protest that had been called by the non-islamists, as you say, to control the protests and divert attention from their own performance. 

What worries me the most is that behind the scenes all sorts of dodgy deals are being made to push the draft constitution, which at best leaves things unchanged (how revolutionary!) and at worst wil take the country backwards


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## MaidenScotland

and wait until the only benzine available is the top of the range one.. (cant think of the number) at the moment people are saying it is only the rich that will be hit with the removing of this subsidy but it makes no difference to the rich.. it will however leave the way open for the to phase out all the cheaper fuel available at the moment.


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## aykalam

MaidenScotland said:


> got to agree.. I think the **** will hit the fan when the lifting of subsidies come into force. The country can't afford them and it is the easiest way to raise revenue not the fairest but the easiest.


not only they can't afford them but the IMF has made it a condition for the subsidies to be reformed/removed all together if Egypt want their $4.8 billion.


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## CAIRODEMON

aykalam said:


> not only they can't afford them but the IMF has made it a condition for the subsidies to be reformed/removed all together if Egypt want their $4.8 billion.


I do doubt whether they will even think of touching the bread subsidy even though it is the most costly to maintain. Hosni knew this very well and mobilised the armed forces bakeries a few years ago when there was a shortage. Sadat initially did not realise the importance of cheap bread, but soon learned via the 1980's riots.

If for any reason this subsidy is phased out or even materially reduced the reaction that will follow will make the events of Jan/Feb 2011 seem like a hand bag fight.


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## CAIRODEMON

MaidenScotland said:


> and wait until the only benzine available is the top of the range one.. (cant think of the number) at the moment people are saying it is only the rich that will be hit with the removing of this subsidy but it makes no difference to the rich.. it will however leave the way open for the to phase out all the cheaper fuel available at the moment.


It's 95 octane, a lot more expensive than the rest and not available at most garages. I guess if you have a Porsche you can still afford it though! Tamanin is the cheapest and a lot of Egyptians put this in their cars even if they shouldn't. You will often see long lines at the petrol stations during the evening to buy this .


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## MaidenScotland

CAIRODEMON said:


> It's 95 octane, a lot more expensive than the rest and not available at most garages. I guess if you have a Porsche you can still afford it though! Tamanin is the cheapest and a lot of Egyptians put this in their cars even if they shouldn't. You will often see long lines at the petrol stations during the evening to buy this .





Keep watching.. it will be available at all stations so they can phase out the others. just as they did in the UK many many years ago.


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## CAIRODEMON

MaidenScotland said:


> Keep watching.. it will be available at all stations so they can phase out the others. just as they did in the UK many many years ago.


Quite possible. I do think that the recent petrol shortages are a ploy to soften people up in advance of the subsidies being curtailed.


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## canuck2010

Fuel is too cheap anyway, the prices should go up.


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## MaidenScotland

the bread subsidy removal will be the cruncher...and more so in the villages.

My friends husband told their bowab that all baladi bread was the same regardless of where it was bought, the bowab brought him bread back from his village, it was dry, had visible straw in it, and it crumbled like dust this is what is being sold in his village as subsidised bread. The bakeries who produce this subsidised bread must be monitored and prevented from selling the flour on the black market.


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## expatagogo

The government recently change the recipe for subsidized bread, increasing the amount of corn to 20% to reduce costs.

Any more and Egyptians will have to learn to like tacos instead of bread.


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## MaidenScotland

Egypt's government plans to cut energy subsidies by setting a universal limit on how much cheap fuel and cooking gas every household can buy, Petroleum Minister Osama Kamal told a newspaper on Sunday.

An Islamist-led administration that took office in July has vowed to push through reform of the subsidies, which consume as much as a quarter of the state budget, to lower an unmanageable deficit and shift funds to health and education.

Economists say the IMF will not release a US$4.8 billion loan until Egypt shows how it will cut a deficit that ballooned after a popular uprising tipped the economy into crisis last year.

The government has committed itself to subsidy reform without saying precisely how or when it will happen.

The plan outlined by Kamal in an interview with newspaper Al-Shurouk would mean both rich and poor receive the same allocation of the subsidized fuel and would then pay a higher price for additional amounts consumed.

The government "is committed to subsidizing petrol for only one car per family", the paper quoted Kamal as saying.

Each car with a maximum 1.6 liter engine would be allocated around 1,800 liters of subsidized fuel a year, enough to travel 60 kilometer per day, he said, a "suitable estimate for average daily consumption of private cars in Egypt".

He was referring to 80-, 90- and 92-grade gasoline, while prices of higher-grade 95 gasoline would be raised to what the government pays for it.

Unspecified amounts of subsidized diesel, known as solar in Egypt, would be issued for trucks, three-wheeler passenger vehicles, mini-buses and buses for transporting children to schools whose fees are regulated by the state, he said.

Each Egyptian family would receive 1.5 to 2 cylinders of fully subsidized butane cooking gas per month and further consumption would be partially subsidized, Kamal said.

"The government can't move prices in one go so as to avoid raising average inflation significantly," he said. "All citizens will be treated equally, so whoever has a luxury villa will be treated equally to the rest in receiving butane gas cylinders."

He did not give a deadline for the start of subsidy rationing or specify what would constitute a family for the purposes of the plan. Another minister said last week that coupons for subsidized butane would be issued towards year-end.

A growing population and high global prices pushed Egypt's petroleum product subsidy bill to 28 billion Egyptian pounds ($4.59 billion) in the July-September quarter, up from 18 billion in the same period a year earlier, according to Kamal.

He said the scale of subsidy cuts planned for in the government's 2012/13 fiscal year budget would not be realized "because it was put on the basis that the restructuring would begin from early July and this has not happened".


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## expatagogo

MaidenScotland said:


> The plan outlined by Kamal in an interview with newspaper Al-Shurouk would mean both rich and poor receive the same allocation of the subsidized fuel and would then pay a higher price for additional amounts consumed.


Maybe it's just me, but I can't understand why the government would subsidize the needs of the "rich" at all.


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## aykalam

*and again*

Several political groups and parties are calling for a mass demonstration on Friday under the slogan "Egypt for all Egyptians", to demand social justice and a constitution that "represents all Egyptians."
At a press conference on Tuesday, activists declared three demonstrations will march to Tahrir on Friday following afternoon prayers. The marches will start from the Mostafa Mahmoud Mosque in Mohandeseen, the district of Shubra, and the district of Sayyeda Zeinab.

Two marches will also be held on Friday evening. One will march from Tahrir Square to the Shura Council (Upper House) headquarters, where the constitution drafting body meets, to demand a representative constitution. The second will march to the presidential palace under the slogan "social justice."

Social justice protest planned for Friday in Egypt - Politics - Egypt - Ahram Online


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## aykalam

MaidenScotland said:


> Egypt's government plans to cut energy subsidies by setting a universal limit on how much cheap fuel and cooking gas every household can buy, Petroleum Minister Osama Kamal told a newspaper on Sunday.
> 
> An Islamist-led administration that took office in July has vowed to push through reform of the subsidies, which consume as much as a quarter of the state budget, to lower an unmanageable deficit and shift funds to health and education.
> 
> Economists say the IMF will not release a US$4.8 billion loan until Egypt shows how it will cut a deficit that ballooned after a popular uprising tipped the economy into crisis last year.
> 
> The government has committed itself to subsidy reform without saying precisely how or when it will happen.
> 
> The plan outlined by Kamal in an interview with newspaper Al-Shurouk would mean both rich and poor receive the same allocation of the subsidized fuel and would then pay a higher price for additional amounts consumed.
> 
> The government "is committed to subsidizing petrol for only one car per family", the paper quoted Kamal as saying.
> 
> Each car with a maximum 1.6 liter engine would be allocated around 1,800 liters of subsidized fuel a year, enough to travel 60 kilometer per day, he said, a "suitable estimate for average daily consumption of private cars in Egypt".
> 
> He was referring to 80-, 90- and 92-grade gasoline, while prices of higher-grade 95 gasoline would be raised to what the government pays for it.
> 
> Unspecified amounts of subsidized diesel, known as solar in Egypt, would be issued for trucks, three-wheeler passenger vehicles, mini-buses and buses for transporting children to schools whose fees are regulated by the state, he said.
> 
> Each Egyptian family would receive 1.5 to 2 cylinders of fully subsidized butane cooking gas per month and further consumption would be partially subsidized, Kamal said.
> 
> "The government can't move prices in one go so as to avoid raising average inflation significantly," he said. "All citizens will be treated equally, so whoever has a luxury villa will be treated equally to the rest in receiving butane gas cylinders."
> 
> He did not give a deadline for the start of subsidy rationing or specify what would constitute a family for the purposes of the plan. Another minister said last week that coupons for subsidized butane would be issued towards year-end.
> 
> A growing population and high global prices pushed Egypt's petroleum product subsidy bill to 28 billion Egyptian pounds ($4.59 billion) in the July-September quarter, up from 18 billion in the same period a year earlier, according to Kamal.
> 
> He said the scale of subsidy cuts planned for in the government's 2012/13 fiscal year budget would not be realized "because it was put on the basis that the restructuring would begin from early July and this has not happened".



"Despite the urgency, observers say significant reforms are* unlikely before parliamentary elections due early next year*. The authorities, they say, will want imprimatur of parliament on any cuts which will result in painful price rises. The government also wants *to avoid damaging the electoral chances of Freedom and Justice*, the party of Mohamed Morsi, the president."

Egypt poor braced for end to cheap fuel - FT.com


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## MaidenScotland

another Friday another protest... well that means the one from Mohandiseen will walk past my house and I had plans for Friday.. ****** it,


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## MaidenScotland

MaidenScotland said:


> another Friday another protest... well that means the one from Mohandiseen will walk past my house and I had plans for Friday.. ****** it,





Nada .. 1.13pm


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## aykalam

I think the marches are just moving now from wherever they gathered, at least that's what I can see on AJ Mubasher |Misr


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## MaidenScotland

Lots of traffic, in fact you would think it is a week day. 

I heard a lot of shouting but couldn't see any protesters. 

There is a boat race on and that is where the shouting might have come from


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## MaidenScotland

Still no sign of any protesters. 
I am off out and meeting a chap who lives yards away from the mosque in Mondiseen so I can ask him if there were indeed big crowds.


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## MaidenScotland

Nothing to report.. my friend says he saw nothing in Mohandiseen,


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## aykalam

"it's all a play! it's all a play! the gang has stayed the same!" Mohandiseen to Tahrir march

VIDEO: Thousands march to Tahrir to protest Brotherhood domination - Multimedia - Ahram Online


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