In an interview with FRANCE 24, Said al-Lawindi, an expert at the Cairo-based Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies, called Black Bloc "a consequence of the lack of political awareness in Egypt, particularly among the youth”.Īl-Lawindi worried that the sort of violence the group propagates could obstruct the possibility of a national dialogue in a deeply divided country. Shehata believes the masked youth are most the radical elements among the revolutionaries that sparked the 2011 uprising. Unlike al-Borai, Samir Shehata, professor of Arab politics at Georgetown University, said he was surprised by the sudden appearance of Black Bloc youth on the streets of Egypt’s main cities.
In an interview with the private Egyptian station CBC-TV, el-Borai said that the group’s motivation was born out of frustration with the current system, which has become a 'religious dictatorship' much like the old Mubarak regime”. In a report released earlier this week, Amnesty International documented witness accounts of “the unnecessary use of lethal force by security forces” even when “it was not strictly necessary to protect life, including when protestors did not pose an imminent threat”.įor Nagad el-Borai, a lawyer and political activist, the sudden emergence of Black Bloc is therefore "not bizarre”. The Egyptian police force has long been accused of systemic violence and abusing human rights, a record that has not changed since the fall of Mubarak. "They do not want to sit idly by," said Othman. With the unprecedented levels of violence, many demonstrators began to doubt the effectiveness of a peaceful opposition. None of the violent, pro-regime demonstrators have been arrested.ĭuring the second anniversary demonstrations last week, old slogans such as, "Selmia, Selmia" (peaceful, peaceful) chanted during the anti-Mubarak demonstrations were not heard. Seven people were killed in the violence, which many believe was unleashed by "thugs" sent by the Muslim Brotherhood to clash with opponents of the regime.įollowing the clashes at the presidential palace, supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood as well as Salafist groups were involved in several violent incidents - including the burning of the headquarters of the opposition al-Wafd party in Cairo. ‘The reaction of civilians overwhelmed by violence’įor Sarah Othman, an Egyptian activist, the emergence of Black Bloc is directly linked to civilians feeling overwhelmed by the violence to which they have been subjected, especially after the December 2012 attack on peaceful demonstrators at Cairo’s presidential palace. The appearance of the masked men on the streets - many of them flashing “V” for victory signs - injected a foreboding new element into Egypt’s political scene, which has been an explosive mix ever since the 2011 fall of Mubarak and the deeply contested political rise of the Muslim Brotherhood. But they refused to provide further details, telling a British-Egyptian journalist, “We don’t talk to media, but we are Black Bloc.” When questioned about their political affiliations, the masked youth maintained that they did not belong to any group or political party. Wearing masks to make themselves less identifiable to police, Black Bloc members joined the demonstrations last week in a number of Egyptian cities including Cairo, Alexandria and Mansoura, a northern Nile Delta city.Īt a January 25 demonstration in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, some Black Bloc members were heard telling protesters, "We are here to protect you. The nearly four-minute clip, shot at night in Alexandria and set to a pounding hard-rock audio track, shows masked youths storming into town with a mission, they say, to fight "against the fascist regime and their armed wing." On January 24 - the eve of the second anniversary of the start of the uprising against former President Hosni Mubarak - the movement announced its presence with an “official video” posted on YouTube. Proudly proclaiming their willingness to use force, the group is vehemently opposed to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's regime and its members say they want to defend demonstrators from the onslaught of the Islamists as well as the state security forces. Inspired by the Western anti-establishment and autonomist movements of the 1980s, the mysterious new "Black Bloc" began appearing at demonstrations making the second anniversary of the January 25 revolution last week. Clad in black, their faces shrouded by balaclavas, they have staged an ominous appearance on the streets of major Egyptian cities and on social network sites over the past few days.
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