By Kevin Kim
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
CAIRO, Egypt – Thousands of Egyptians held protests peacefully on Friday in support of Palestinians in Gaza, calling for an end to the Israeli blockade. Many of the protesters were from Egypt’s largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, whose members have been detained for staging protests since the ordeal began. Many of the protesters carried banners that read: “Save Gaza” and “Free Despite Siege.”
On Wednesday, Egyptian authorities arrested scores of Brotherhood members in dawn raids for “illegally organizing protests against the Israeli blockade of Gaza.” The authorities rounded up the men in raids on their homes, including the secretary general of the Cairo doctors’ syndicate, Saad Zaghloul, in the northern port city of Alexandria. Others have also been detained in areas where the Brotherhood has a strong popular base including Giza, north of Cairo, and in Gharbia and Kafr al-Sheikh. They were accused of organizing demonstration without a permit and with belonging to a banned organization.
The crisis began when Palestinian militants first breached the wall between Gaza and Egypt on Wednesday, blowing up part of the wall that allowed tens of thousands of Palestinians to enter into Egypt and stock up on food and fuel. A second breach occurred later, when a bulldozer knocked over a new section of the border wall. Though Egypt has remained idle, allowing thousands to cross the border for humanitarian reasons, the Egyptian government plans to reseal the border in the coming days.
The Muslim Brotherhood, a non-violent group deemed illegal in Egypt, said Egypt should unilaterally open the border with Gaza. For this cause, more than 350 Brotherhood members have been arrested for continuously staging protests. Friday was no exception, where some 2,000 Egyptians protested in support of the Gazans outside the Cairo International Book Fair.
Israel had first blockaded its borders with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip to stop Palestinian militants from firing rockets into southern Israel. The blockade has affected approximately 1.5 million people who live in Gaza Strip.
For more information, please see:
The Jerusalem Post – Protests for Gaza held across Mideast – 25 January 2008
BBC News – Egypt cracks down on Gaza protest – 23 January 2008
Ynetnews – Egypt arrests Muslim Brotherhood members protesting Gaza siege – 23 January 2008
Reuters – Egypt detains 30 Brotherhood men over Gaza protests – 23 January 2008
