Bazaar owners in the Khan al-Khalili area blocked Al-Azhar Street on Wednesday in protest against the lack of business due to a stymied tourism industry.
“We are unable to pay wages,” said Amr Youssef, a bazaar owner. “And the place is filthy as nobody removes the garbage.”
The protesters demanded that they be exempted from electricity bills, taxes and social security. They also requested that the government ban vendors from selling cheap Chinese products that compete with theirs.
The police failed to persuade the protesters to reopen the street to ease the traffic jam.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
