Social media activists in Egypt circulated a video for Gamal and Alaa Mubarak, the sons of Egypt’s autocratic President Hosni Mubarak who was overthrown by January Revolution in 2011, attending a football match at Cairo Stadium on Sunday.
This is the first time for Mubarak’s sons to appear in a public event since the ouster of Mubarak. Gamal and Alaa were watching a friendly match between Egypt and Tunisia in preparation for the Egyptian national team’s participation in the Cup of the African of Nations competition at Gabon on January 15.
The football audience in the main compartment was surprised at the attendance of Mubarak’s sons which caused disturbance among the organizing committee that couldn’t provide places for them.
As a result, the organizing committee has provided places for them at the ” first-class” on the left side of the main compartment.
The appearance of Gamal and Alaa has caused a great dissent among activists on the social media.
One of the activists said, “They are taking photos at the stadium on the same day when the Revolution icon for the Egyptian youth is humiliated.”
Another one said, “They are sticking out their tongues during the Revolution month (January).”Another activist also said that Gamal and Alaa Mubarak are in the stadium watching the match while the revolution’s youths are in jails.
There is no doubt that the appearance of Mubarak’s sons is one of the signs that indicate that the hopes of January Revolution have faded away.
As Mubarak’s sons and other figures from the old regime were freed under the al-Sisi military regime, thousands of youths were detained, tortured and abused in Egypt’s prisons. In addition, others have received death penalties while others lost hope as they will live their youth in prison.
Egypt has fallen under military rule after the 2013 coup, led by the former Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi against Egypt’s first democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi.
Since then, the Egyptian authorities have launched a massive crackdown on political opposition, human right activists, and journalists.
According to international organizations’ estimates, Egyptian authorities are detaining about 40,000 of its opponents, suffering poor conditions, and hundreds have died in detention as a result of torture and medical negligence.
