State-aligned political parties and institutions in Egypt have issued a call for nationwide demonstrations on Friday to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi’s stance against the forced migration of the Gaza population to Egypt.
Sisi stated at a press conference on Wednesday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, “Millions of Egyptians would support the Egyptian position if it came down to requiring them to storm the streets in protest of this notion.”
Egypt’s state-run and local media report that an alliance of state-backed political parties has supported Sisi’s statements and claimed to have obtained permits for demonstrations in designated areas throughout the country.
Since Sisi came to power, these would be Egypt’s first government-approved mass demonstrations. Decades of stringent anti-protest legislation and ruthless security operations against dissent have effectively averted large-scale protests.
Wednesday saw widespread demonstrations against Israeli airstrikes against Gaza at multiple Egyptian universities. Several professional unions additionally coordinated more modest-scale protests, wherein some attendees chanted in favor of Sisi’s stance.
Amid a precarious situation where millions of migrants already reside, Egypt is apprehensive about hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees entering its borders. In Gaza, over 2 million Palestinians live.
Sisi stated last week that his nation is attempting to assist “within limits.”
"We fully express our sympathy. “However, while we express our sympathy, we must always use our intelligence to achieve safety and peace in the most cost-effective manner possible,” he cautioned.