CAIRO: As part of the April 6 day of strikes, security forces managed to nip in the bud a demonstration by Nubians opposite the Ministry of Information.
Turnout was extremely low, but security forces were not taking chances. They immediately converged on the 10 Nubians protesting Monday noon on the pavement opposite the Television and Radio Building and ordered them to leave.
What occurred next was a 30-minute standoff as the security officers insisted that the Nubian demonstrators leave before things took a turn to the worse.
One security officer told them, “Today is not a good day to demonstrate, while another said more gruffly, “Anyone threatening security will be thrown in the Nile.
The Nubians had come to voice their grievances, one being the prevalent attitude towards them by fellow Egyptians.
This was exemplified when a police officer called out to one them saying, “Come on Bakar. The title character of the animated TV series is an adventurous young Nubian exploring Egypt. The Nubians were riled by this, saying, “This is exactly why we are here.
The officer responded by saying he was merely joking.
The Nubian demonstrators were carrying a banner which they intended to hold aloft but a police officer ripped it from their grasp and confiscated it.
Even after the demonstrators left, police stopped a dark-skinned man walking by asking him where he was heading. A police officer then shouted at him to cross the road.
“Security took our banners and threatened to hit us if we didn’t leave, demonstrator Abdel-Rahman El-Sherif told Daily News Egypt.
Another demonstrator, Mazen Alaa told Daily News Egypt, “We wanted to have a peaceful demonstration and lift our banners, each banner indicating one of our demands. We came to find security who told us we cannot do it and to come on any other day because this way we are associating ourselves with the April 6 Movement. As if there is something wrong with that.
Amongst the lists of demands, the Nubians want to return to their original homes near Lake Nasser from which they were displaced during the construction of the Aswan Dam. They also demand respect for their culture and language.
One of two female demonstrators, Rabaa Farouk Mohamed, told Daily News Egypt, “There is discrimination against us and much ridicule. One journalist wrote once that we were slaves and made other inappropriate comments.
El Sherif said, “No one wants to listen to us. We chose April 6 because all of Egypt is raising the slogan ‘it’s our right and we will take it’ so we too want to take our rights. We want to return to our original homes, compensation for our displacement and the media to pay attention to our culture, heritage and language.
Alaa said, “Security forces told us there are legal channels to make our demands. We have tried so hard to be heard through legal channels but nothing has happened.
