Bedouins in Sinai held a protest on Sunday, following the shooting and killing of two Bedouins in fighting with police. Two more Bedouins were seriously injured in the aftermath of the clashes.
The clashes started when a group of Bedouins besieged the Abu Rdeis police station, in South Sinai, demanding the release of their cars. The cars were confiscated by the police after several police reports were filed against the Bedouins, accusing them of stealing the cars.
ONA news agency quoted Sheikh Moteir Salem, a respected Abu Rdeis cleric, saying Bedouins were peaceful while dealing with the police, until officers suddenly open fired on them, injuring four.
According to the protesting Bedouins, their vehicles are their sole source of income.
The protesters said in a video published by independent daily Al-Shorouk that the problem between Bedouins and security forces stems from discriminatory practices by police.
“One’s fingers are not alike,” one of the protesters said. “Not because one Bedouins is a criminal or so, do you make all other Bedouins pay for his crimes.”
Calls for Bedouins’ rights and improving state-security officials’ treatment of Bedouins have been a focus of rights groups for some time.
Sinai Bedouins hold protest
