\u201cA position paper on the phenomenon of the mobilization of citizens’ support against the opposition\u201d<\/p>\n
Prepared by: Karim Abdelrady<\/p>\n
(1)<\/p>\n
\u201cKhalti Faransa\u201d and the black Wednesday:<\/p>\n
\u201cKhalti Faransa\u201d a famous Egyptian movie, depicting a meeting between an official from the national ruling party and two women from the slums, Faransa \u201cplayed by actress Abla Kamel\u201d and her niece Batta \u201dactress Mona Zaky\u201d, who used to be recruited by a police officer to assault opposition demonstrators. In a scene, Batta realizes the truth about the opposition while she was beating a woman who started to explain the situation to her. Batta understands in the movie, but in reality, Batta-like citizens never change.<\/p>\n
Black Wednesday:<\/p>\n
A year after the screening of the movie, exactly, on Wednesday 25th of May 2005, while \u201cKefaya\u201d was organizing a demonstration in front of the Journalists\u2019 Syndicate, \u00a0protesting the forged referendum to amend the constitution, several female journalists were taking part in this demonstration. A signal by 3 National Democratic Party (NDP) members accompanied by police officers prompted a number of female \u201chonorable citizens\u201d attacked the female journalists, harassing them, stripping off their cloths, cursing them with the worst of insults. \u00a0The investigation was reserved and the victims were subjected to a horrific smear campaign.<\/p>\n
(2)<\/p>\n
Traitors and sons of filth<\/p>\n
That was the chant of the \u201chonorable\u201d citizens responding to the allegedly \u201cnon-honorable\u201d citizens who were chanting \u201cEgyptian.. Egyptian\u201d in reference to the two Islands \u201cTiran\u201d and \u201cSanafir\u201d. \u00a0The two islands were relinquished, sold or handed over to Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
The alleged ‘honorable\u201d citizens also tried to assault journalists who were attempting to reach their Syndicate to join the demonstration protesting the waiver of the two Islands. A journalist posed a question to police officers who were calmly watching, wondering if they approve this assault. The police officers answered claiming that these attackers are citizens who are expressing their opinion \u201cexactly like you\u201d.<\/p>\n
Few hours later, a VIP citizen and a police in plain clothes handed the \u201chonorable\u201d citizens an amount of money, one of them protested that the amount is few, the officer responded: it is good, we will make it up for you next time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Champollion street<\/p>\n
After a protest aginst waiving Tiran and Sanafir Islands<\/p>\n
(3)<\/p>\n
\u201cRespectable revered elders, who taught us a lot for decades, like Mr. Helmi Shaarawi, Dr. Abdul Galil Mostafa, ambassador Shokri Fouad, Mr. Gamil Matar, Abdullah al Sennawi, Ibrahim Abdul Maguid, Dr. Mostafa Kamel, Mr. Farid Zahran, George Ishak, Ahmed al Boraai, Kamal Abo Eita. Mohamed Anwar al Sadat and others were chased by thugs and criminals cursing them, throwing plates, cups and ashtrays at them, deliberately harming them. The starting moment was with the calling of sunset prayer, as the guests were ready to start eating breaking their fasting, suddenly a group of thugs attacked them screaming: traitors, spies, get out.<\/p>\n
Khaled Dawood’s testimony about the \u201chonorable\u201d citizens attacking the Democratic Civil Movement’s Ramadan breakfast \u201cIftar\u201d in the Swiss club, June\/Ramadan 2018<\/p>\n
(4)<\/p>\n
\u201cSelim al Nemr came to me at home, he told me we have a good job with Hussein Ragab, the man of the the Party, we will make good money without problems with the \u201cgovernment\u201d – by which he means police detectives \u2013 and they will allow it.<\/p>\n
I asked him: what is the story Selim?<\/p>\n
He answered: the president will give a speech tonight, after he ends it we will go onto the streets supporting him in a demonstration and will beat those guys who want to destroy the country through protests, it is only two hours, they will pay us 50 L.E.<\/p>\n
We went \u00a0out to al Maadi streets after Mubarak’s speech, until we reached Algeria Square, we’ve seen there some guys and girls, we ran after them and beat some of them… the rest fled.\u201d<\/p>\n
An interview with one of the \u201chonorable\u201d citizens by a lawyer in the Arabic Network for Human Right Information, giving his testimony about his participation in a supporting demonstration after Hosni Mubarak\u2019s Speech following \u201cThe Camel Battle\u201d incidents. Names are fake, places are true.<\/p>\n
Questions:<\/b><\/p>\n
Are the Honorable Citizens a mere Egyptian phenomenon?<\/p>\n
We do not believe so, as the world witnessed such a phenomenon under the rule of Arab and international dictatorships. It was observed under the rule of fugitive dictator \u201cZein Al Abedin bin Ali\u201d, as thugs were assaulting opposition and civil society members in Avenue Habib Bourguiba’s coffee shops, seminars and meetings held by NGOs. They used to attempt to spoil seminars and meetings, assaulting attendees and curse them, either inside or outside Tunisia.<\/p>\n
The phenomenon was also observed in Syria during the rule of Bashar al Assad, as thugs used to attack and defame opposition figures in \u201cAl Rawda\u201d and \u201cHavana\u201d coffee shops and other coffee shops around the criminal court in Damascus. After the revolution assaults turned to be bloody and violent, those who carried out such attacks are called \u201cShabbiha\u201d. They used to kill and torture opponents.<\/p>\n
It was also witnessed in Venezuela, when thugs attacked and defamed opponents of the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro few weeks ago and on different occasions.<\/p>\n
Yet, in Egypt, the phenomenon was developed to reach upper middle class, like journalists, media figures, businessmen, lawyers, intellectuals. Now it is not restricted to poor and ignorant people.<\/p>\n
Who are the \u201cHonorable\u201d citizens?<\/b><\/p>\n
Most of them suffer poverty and ignorance, dwell in slums, eventually they end up in police station detention cells, whether because they got involved in street fights or debts they cannot afford to pay or drugs and crime.<\/p>\n
They call the police \u201cthe government\u201d. When they say \u201cthe government\u201d is here, they mean police detective patrols that confiscate goods from street vendors. Sometimes they arrest people for not having an IDs, or simply for replying in a manner the detective doesn\u2019t consider to be polite enough.<\/p>\n
When the government \u201cPolice detectives\u201d, or their friends from the governing party, try to recruit those people to perform services, it is natural that those people welcome performing such services, for money, for being close to the \u201cgovernment\u201d in order not to be arrested or tortured. Some of them try to convince themselves that the \u201cgovernment\u201d knows better, and maybe the \u201cothers\u201d are really spies and traitors. But not all of them.<\/p>\n
Types of \u201cHonorable\u201d citizens:<\/b><\/p>\n
Yet, there are different types of \u201chonorable\u201d citizens other than those poor and illiterate<\/p>\n
Stories About Honorable citizens: <\/b><\/p>\n
Incidents are countless, for example, beating Dr. Mohamed al Baradie in al Moqattam, attempt of assaulting Dr. Alaa al Aswani, beating journalist Nawara Ahmed Fouad Negm in front of Maspero and thwarting demonstrations of Calling For Democracy Movement in downtown.<\/p>\n
Here are some observations concerning similar incidents, illustrating the collective movement of ‘honorable’ citizens groups, in an organized and predestined way, not randomly or haphazardly:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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One of ANHRI’s lawyers, who was in Tahrir square, received several calls, in the dawn of the 2nd February 2011, from some residents of the neighborhood, warning him from staying in Tahrir Square, informing him that some Parliament and authority members recruited thugs to attack protesters in Tahrir square. This was one of many complains received by ANHRI. It became clear that those who warned us are well connected with the authorities.<\/p>\n
The news did not reach some residents of the neighborhood only. The Egyptian media broadcast frightening news to push protesters out of the square. Especially channel I, as they broadcast the following statement:<\/p>\n
A call for your safety. Please go back home. We have received information about some evocative persons, carrying fire balls and going to the square. Please go back home for your safety. Those who have connections with any person that presents now in the square, please call him\/her and tell them that the national TV broadcast this news according to positive confirmed information. <\/i><\/p>\n
We wonder about the source of information, about the call for the peaceful protesters to leave the square instead of calling on the authorities to resist the \u201cevocative\u201d persons.<\/p>\n
Citizens who look poor, with a DJ, dancing chanting, emerge on request, recruited or victims of media incitement, besieged the square entrance in the 2nd of February 2011. Some of them were riding camels, horses and mules, some were on little trucks with cold and fire weapons chanting for Mubarak after the passionate speech he gave. They were a sort of mercenaries recruited by police officers and Parliament Members brought from slums. They stormed \u00a0the square, killing a number of peaceful protesters. These are the \u201chonorable\u201d citizens.<\/p>\n
Despite the endurance of the revolutionaries, and thwarting this attack, yet, the \u201chonorable\u201d citizens did not stop.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\u201cTill now, more that 3 martyrs and 20 injured, they are all soldiers, they were not killed by Israelis, or by an enemy, they are killed by a group of citizens\u201d<\/p>\n
These were the exact words of the Egyptian TV anchor \u201cRasha Magdy\u201d with breaking news written on the screen: Coptic demonstrators throw stones and Molotov cocktail on military soldiers\u201d<\/p>\n
Honorable citizens rash to protect soldiers, eventually, a massacre took place, known as \u201cMaspero Massacre\u201d in October 2011, leading to the death of 26 Egyptians, most of them Copitc.<\/p>\n