FALCON POWRS – The Egyptian authorities have arrested several students who were trying to promote boycott and solidarity campaigns with Palestinians, the latest sign of its unwillingness to make room for popular mobilization over the war in Gaza, despite growing official criticism of Israel.
The students are among dozens detained in connection with protests against the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, some of whom were arrested in October when the marches – which the authorities had allowed – against the Israeli attack extended to unauthorized sites, including Tahrir Square in Cairo.
Analysts say the authorities fear that protests against Israel could stoke domestic political opposition, which has been suppressed in a far-reaching crackdown that has lasted more than a decade.
According to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, an independent Cairo-based organization, the authorities have arrested at least 125 people, 95 of whom remain in pre-trial detention, on charges including joining a banned group or spreading false news.
These charges are often used in terrorism-related cases, but activists and human rights lawyers say they are also commonly used against detainees in political repression campaigns. rights lawyer Nabil El-Gendy, who represents two of the students, said three students were arrested this month for attempting to form a group called “Students for Palestine”, including 22-year-old Ziad El-Boseiny, a student at the Academy of Arts.
Ziad’s mother, Faiza Hindawi, told Reuters that about 40 security personnel arrested her son from their home in the early hours of May 9.
The official added that the students “did not call for a sit-in or protests or anything… This is not a political organization, it’s students appealing to Egyptian students that we should be with Palestine and declare our solidarity with it, just like all the universities in the world.”
The State Information Service of Egypt did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters, and it was not possible to reach an official from the Ministry of Interior.
Egyptian officials have openly expressed their support for the rights of the Palestinians and have strongly criticized the Israeli military campaign. Fayza said, “The amazing thing is that this is your official position, so the students are supporting this position and this is the position of the state, so where is the problem?”
- Suppression of opposition rights groups say tens of thousands of people from across the political spectrum have been arrested due to opposition since the then-army chief Abdel Fattah El-Sisi led the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 following mass protests against his rule.
