Ramlet Bulaq residents blocked the Corniche in Cairo next to the Maspero building Tuesday evening, protesting ongoing attempts to bulldoze their homes and demanding a meeting with Cairo Governor Osama Kamal.
Protesters rigged up loudspeakers and chanted “we are with change, no to displacement,” while also chanting against President Mohamed Morsy.
Maspero security placed the building on high security alert and closed the gates, preventing employees from using the main entrances and exits. Police were deployed around the building to prevent protesters from storming it. However, there were no indications that the protesters were planning to target the building.
Protesters were demanding that the governor answer for not setting up a timetable to construct 64 new housing units, which would house Ramlet Bulaq residents if the government displaces them from their current homes. Cairo officials have also promised to compensate residents.
The protest ended later in the evening after Cairo Deputy Governor Seif Abdel Bari promised residents they could meet with Kamal on Wdnesday.
The government wants to seize the land that Ramlet Bulaq residents live on and turn it into property for luxury office buildings. Residents are holding fast to their homes, refusing to leave without alternative housing being set up in advance.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
