22.12.11 Egypt Politics and Security
Many Egyptians lose sympathy for the young revolutionaries
Many Egyptians, particularly in the deep rural Delta and Upper Egypt, have lost
whatever sympathy they might have had for the young, mainly liberal, activists
who led the protests that brought down the regime of Hosni Mubarak. And so have the voters. The revolutionary parties have won only a tiny
percentage of the votes. In this last round of elections, they risk not winning
any
seats. The protesters, who also include many hardcore Ultra football fans who
have
had years of violent confrontation with the security forces, are also held
responsible by many for the continued disruption to the economy.
The video footage of a half-naked woman being dragged away by troops, however,
has provoked an altogether different reaction. One retired general insinuated
that she got what she deserved; what self-respecting woman would be
demonstrating
anyway? But many will also be seeing this as a violation of a code of honour by
the army.
The army knew when it took over in February that the longer it stayed, the
greater the risk of making mistakes which would damage its reputation in the
eyes of
the Egyptian people. It said it wanted to leave as soon as it could. And yet it
failed to act to do so; it is now paying the price.
The army is right to say that Tahrir Square is not Egypt. But the army will,
nonetheless, be judged by the way it behaves there.
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