Egypt cracks down on climate activists

CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — Rights defenders say Egyptian authorities are cracking down on activists over a mysterious call for protests on 11 November — when world leaders will convene at the COP27 climate summit.

The measures, which have included random phone searches and summons for interrogation, began in October, according to prominent opposition lawyer Khaled Ali.

"Almost every day, state security is arresting and interrogating people about the call to protest on November 11," the former presidential candidate wrote on Facebook Friday, after hashtags began appearing calling for the mass demonstrations.

The online "movement" is amorphous and comes despite protests having effectively been banned for years. While its origins are unknown, the calls have been backed by several opposition figures and media based abroad.

They moreover coincide with the United Nations climate summit, which has drawn further scrutiny of Egypt's rights record, as well as calls to guarantee the right to freedom of assembly.

The proposed date of the demonstration is the same as the expected arrival of United States President Joe Biden for COP27, which Egypt is hosting in the remote resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Ahead of the main planned protest, there have been calls on Twitter for a "dress rehearsal."

Egyptians were urged to take to the streets last Friday after a football match between the country's two biggest clubs, Al Ahly and Zamalek.

But as Friday came, cafes and restaurants around Tahrir and elsewhere had already closed their doors in response to police orders, some owners told AFP.

By the end of the match, plainclothes and uniformed officers were deployed around Tahrir, which was empty of any demonstrators.

Downtown Cairo has seen "passers-by arrested and their phones searched" for days, human rights lawyer Mahienour El-Massry tweeted.

"Why? Based on what law? And all this as they speak of a dialogue and a new republic where all opinions are welcome," Massry continued.