Foreign Activists Detained in Cairo: Advocacy for Gaza Leads to Controversial Arrest
Watan-Egyptian Authorities Detain 4 Foreign Activists Who Staged a Protest in Front of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry Headquarters in Cairo. The activists, hailing from the United States, France, Australia, and Argentina, were advocating for the permission of humanitarian aid entry into Gaza.
Al Jazeera reported that the detained activists had organized a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, expressing solidarity with Gaza under the theme “International Activists for Free Palestine.
https://twitter.com/AJA_Palestine/status/1729988967301349666
According to the same source, the activists were detained inside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building yesterday, Thursday, and have not been located since.
On the other hand, “Mada Masr” website revealed that contact was lost with the four international activists who participated in a peaceful demonstration in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. This occurred after they entered the ministry accompanied by its security personnel and continued until midnight.
Ministry security accompanied them
Security personnel escorted the four individuals, holding Argentine, Australian, French, and American nationalities, into the ministry building before communication was abruptly lost around 12:30 PM.
The activist demonstrators operate independently of the organizers of the World Conscience Caravan, having formed the group autonomously during their stay in Cairo for several weeks while awaiting security clearance.
The spokesperson for the protester group, Jay Demanuel, stated in a press release that the obstacles facing the World Conscience Caravan and other groups awaiting travel to Rafah in Cairo symbolize colonial governments worldwide. These governments could act to stop massacres and genocidal crimes against humanity in the occupied lands of Palestine but refuse to do so, citing their economic and military interests and the protection of their borders with the Zionist state of Israel, according to the statement.
The disappearance of the four foreign activists has shocked the organizers of the caravan, as well as Egyptian and international activists. They initiated the hashtag “WhereAreTheForeignActivists” as a way to question the Egyptian authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the reasons for their disappearance and to seek information about their fate.
https://twitter.com/MadaMasr/status/1730565037822005495
This is their fate following the significant outcry
In a recent update published by “Mada Masr” on Friday evening, the website quoted human rights lawyer Rajia Omran, who stated that the Bolak Abu Al-Ala Police Department informed her that the four foreign activists, detained by the police for organizing a protest in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding entry to Gaza, are “on their way to leaving the country because their presence is not welcome.”
The four activists spent the night in the Bolak Abu Al-Ala Police Department and remained detained for over 24 hours after being transferred there from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building.
According to Omran, American activist John Parker and Australian activist will be the first to leave the country, while the French activist and the other Argentine activist are attempting to purchase plane tickets.
