I was walking, few minutes before Iftar, on the Zamalek cornish, on my way to meet up with American blogger and researcher Parktike, when I noticed a Central Security Forces truck full of black-uniformed conscripts and a blue police patrol car parked in Abul Feda Street.
I was kind of surprised, and didn’t know if Kefaya got bored with downtown so decided to stirr up the masses of the Zamalek island. But then, I noticed the gate few meters away from the CSF battalion. It had the banner, “The Engineers’ Syndicate Club”–one of the syndicate’s social clubs where members can come with their families for evening chillouts, weddings, etc.
I asked some guy who was standing close to the gate about what’s going on. “I don’t know,” he said shrugging his shoulders. “May be the bashmohandessin (engineers) are having an Iftar.”
The Engineers’ Syndicate, like the case of other professional syndicates, had been under government attacks since 1992–the year our Dirty War against the Islamist insurgency started, and the year where Muslim Brothers-dominated professional syndicates were put under the regime’s control. Like other syndicates, the Engineers’ was put under govt custodian council which virtually froze its activities. There has been recent revival of dissent in the syndicate and several groups are trying to do away with govt control. Honestly, I don’t know much about what’s going on, but I receive updates every now and then from groups like Engineers4Change and the Democratic Engineers.
I didn’t have time to follow up on why there were CSF troops stationed in front of the syndicate’s club today, as I was running late. But I just think it’s pathetic how the regime is petrified by some Engineers getting together for a breakfast or a meeting at some social club on a quiet island. What was the police expecting? Engineers filling their bellies with a heavy Ramadan meal and then going on a demo in Zamalek? Pathetic…