Ramses Riots: True or not that is the question

Speaking to some of my friends yesterday, it turns out the bus driver was not killed in police custody. The story I wrote about a few days ago around the Ramses Riots turns out the other way around. Apparently the micro-bus driver got into an argument with a high ranking police officer who'd asked the driver for his papers. The driver didn't oblige. After being asked to come out of his bus, the driver slapped the officer. Apparently it was the crowds of people that attacked the driver enraged with his behaviour.

Every story has another side to it and while we're in between calm and chaos here, it seems wiser not to take every story at face value. This also applies to reports in the media.

A new day a new lesson.

Riots in Ramses

I just got back from the inauguration of the Solidarity with Arabs Revolution forum at the Commercial Club near Ramses. I captured a couple of very interesting speakers on my flip. Passion for the Egyptian revolution amongst the international delegates was infectious.

I left at around 9.30 p.m. planning to walk to Ramses when I found out that a riot was going on there. I was told by someone standing outside the conference hall that it was related to a bus driver who'd apparently died in police custody. It triggered a riot. I saw security forces dressed in riot gear rush to the scene. I was surprised to see them, but apparently they're back. I could feel tension and excitement mount in the air. A couple of freelance journalists tried to run closer to the scene to get some shots. I sensed the riot was going to spread, so I decided to leave. My battery had run out and I felt it would be a mistake to walk into a situation like that without proper precautions. The other thing was, this was the first time I'd experienced a riot in Egypt. I hadn't been here during the 18 day uprising and I hadn't built the kind of immunity that Egyptians would have built by now.

I walked to the metro station, paid LE 1 for my ticket and decided to get into the women's only compartment. As I stood there, the only unveiled woman in the compartment, I felt like Cairo had really changed since I last used  the metro over 15 years ago.

I also felt like this was going to be an eventful summer.