CAIRO: Security bodies forced protesters to break-up their sit-ins outside parliament on Sunday, “under threat of arrest”, according to the Hisham Mubarak Law Center (HMLC).
This followed clashes earlier in the day between the police and workers from the Amonsito company who began a sit-in outside parliament two weeks ago.
Negotiations between manpower minister Aisha Abdel-Hady, head of the state-controlled Egyptian Trade Union Federation (EFTU) and union committee representatives ended with workers being offered a LE 50 million early retirement package.
In 2007 Amonsito’s owner, Syrian-American businessman Adel Agha, fled Egypt leaving the textile factory heavily debt-ridden. Since that time Amonsito’s workers have been receiving incomplete salaries intermittently or not at all.
In March, following a 21-day sit-in by workers outside parliament, an agreement was reached between the Manpower Ministry and Bank Misr, which as creditor is responsible for liquidating the company’s assets whereby workers would be paid LE 106 million. When this agreement was not upheld workers resumed their sit-in.
Union committee head Khaled El-Shishawy described representatives of the EFTU and manpower ministry as “a gang which has conspired with Bank Misr to steal Agha’s assets”.
Agha showed bruising to his chest and arm which he said “was the result of workers’ refusal to accept the LE 50 million offer”.
A YouTube video filmed by journalist Nina Hubinet shows a large crowd of Amonsito workers converging around the People’s Assembly before riot police are called in. An incident of a man in plain-clothing beating one individual is also visible.
Amonsito workers say that a total of three workers were injured, including Samy Feyez who, when Daily News Egypt arrived some three hours after the clashes, had his right forearm in a plaster cast.
Feyez says that a policeman hit him using a wooden stick. Another worker, Ragab Khedr, reportedly had to have three stitches after receiving a blow to the head.
Seven workers were arrested and detained until the early hours of Monday morning when all were released without charge.
Security forces interrupted filming by journalists of workers’ testimonies, confiscating their mobile phones in order to erase photographs and videos. Journalists were then forced to leave the area.
At 6 pm that evening HMLC reported that security bodies had dispersed the numerous sit-ins which have been a permanent fixture outside the People’s Assembly for months, threatening demonstrators who refused to leave with arrest.
On Monday morning the streets around parliament were empty of protests.
