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Egyptian authorities arrest ‘Black Bloc’ leader

June 3, 2015 at 11:52 am

The alleged leader of the anarchic Black Bloc in Egypt has been arrested by the authorities, Almesryoon.com reported on Tuesday. The detention of Mohamed Al-Masri, who was sentenced in absentia to 25 years in prison on 4 February for attacks known as the “Ministerial Council Events”, is, however, still doubtful, the report suggested.

Speaking to the newspaper, a member of the group said that the regime is cracking down on any person who has been or is involved in any revolutionary actions. “The authorities fear the potential for more chaos in the country,” he said, pointing out that the coup government has started to imprison people who supported it during the revolution. “Most of the 30 June activists are now behind bars,” he added. “This is the proof.”

The Black Bloc member was not surprised at the sentencing of the head of the group. “This must have coincided with the fake emergence of the name of the group in order to prove to the public that the security grip of the regime is still strong,” he explained. “The ongoing news about Black Bloc is meant to give a new reason for the security services to arrest activists. The usual pretext of ‘affiliation to the Muslim Brotherhood’ is no longer useful for the authorities.”

The Black Bloc movement in Egypt models itself on the “anti-establishment” ideals of Western anarchist groups. It is claimed that it emerged post-2011 revolution “to protest against the policies of the Morsi government and protect demonstrators from police violence.”