Today was the day when the Gaza Freedom March members planned to march through the Gaza Strip to the Erez crossing with Israel in the north in an effort to protest the continued international sanctions against the Palestinians living in the small coastal region. However, since the Egyptian government has denied their request to enter Gaza, the GFM demonstrators decided to stage some protests throughout Cairo.
Unfortunately, the Egyptian government decided that it was not going to take this lying down and came out in force to suppress, or at least, seriously limit the impact of the events. Below you’ll see two photos I managed to get from a small demonstration that was being held on Sharia Taalat Harb in downtown Cairo.
You’ll notice in the photo below, a plainclothes gentleman (who appear to really call the shots) started to turn and physically move my camera lens away from the demonstrators. I attempted to walk away from him and I was physically (but not roughly) pushed away from the march and further into the street.
Needless to say, I backed off. I then walked up to Tahrir Square and turned right only to be stopped about two blocks from a much larger demonstration across the street from the Egyptian Museum. Again, a plainclothes man approached me and physically turned me around and gave me a shove. Before I walked away, I could see a large gathering of riot police surrounding something. Above them, I could make out a few banners and Palestinian flags. I toyed with the idea of walking around Tahrir Square to get another view but decided that it wasn’t a good idea given the aggressive nature of the police already.
I was planning on embedding a map below to show exactly where the demonstrations were but my Internet connection where I’m staying is terribly, terribly slow and I simply can’t get Google Maps to load in a reasonable amount of time.
Since then, I’ve heard various reports of violence perpetrated by the police against the protesters. I also received an email from a demonstrator reporting that they were barricaded in their hotel and have had their internet access cut off. They specifically mentioned that there were (and perhaps still are) approximately 300 Americans being held against their will in the Lotus Hotel by the Egyptian police. This information has been passed on to the US State Department.
I haven’t heard any new news in a while. Occasionally, it sounds like things have calmed down a bit and then five minutes later I hear that marchers are still being detained and beaten.
As of right now, Twitter appears to be the best (though sometimes unreliable) source of information as it happens. Demonstrators have been using the #gfm hashtag to tag their tweets.
As of right now, I am in my room working on photos and trying to use the Internet. Tomorrow, I’ll likely lay low for a bit and see if I can line up any projects/work in Cairo since it appears I might be here for a little while longer.
If I hear anything more, I will post it. Or, you can also follow me on Twitter.
Shawn Duffy is a freelance commercial photographer and photojournalist based in the Washington, DC Metro area. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, he is a self-taught photographer who has decided to merge his passion for photography with his intense interest in the world around him. From the bustling streets of Bangalore, India, to the refugee camps of occupied Palestine, Shawn strives to create images and tell stories that compel others to act.
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