Skip to main content

Cairo police arrest 10 protesting against metro price rises

Small crowd chants 'We will not move, we will not move' at Cairo's Dar al-Salam station
Egyptian woman protests at Helwan metro station over metro fare rises (screengrab)

Egyptian police arrested 10 people on Saturday over a rare protest in the capital Cairo against increased metro prices, a security official said.

The incident took place after authorities announced late on Thursday the metro ticket price would be increased the following day.

A security official said those arrested were facing charges of entering the metro without paying, preventing a train from moving and illegal assembly.

The detained protesters were due to appear before prosecutors on Saturday evening, the official said.

The government raised the price of tickets on Cairo's loss-making metro on Friday, more than tripling some fares and setting off a wave of angry reaction on social media.

Posts showed people demanding it rescind the decision, with some jumping over ticket barriers, apparently refusing to pay the new fares.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7-XUVLCihg

"We will not move, we will not move," a small crowd chanted at Dar al-Salam station in south Cairo as policemen looked on.

Interior Ministry and metro officials could not be reached for comment. It was not possible to verify the authenticity of the recordings.

Even small protests have been rare in Egypt since the army toppled president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 following protests against his rule.

A law passed in 2013 forbids demonstrations not approved by the Interior Ministry.

The fare rises came as Egypt pushes ahead with tough reforms tied to a $12bn International Monetary Fund agreement that have included energy subsidy cuts and tax hikes and are aimed at boosting growth.

The metro system has accumulated losses of $34m, state news agency MENA reported.

The government angered Cairo residents, already hit by a sharp rise in living costs, when it doubled the price of metro tickets last year for millions of commuters.

New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch

Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters

Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.