Violence Was Not Accidental: The Port Said Soccer Tragedy
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Violence Was Not Accidental: The Port Said Soccer Tragedy (Photo: Qantara.de)
For the ruling military council in Egypt, the violent clashes between soccer fans from Cairo's al-Ahly club and al-Masry from Port Said were "a tragic sports event". There are a numerous signs, however, that indicate that the orgy of violence was staged. The open hostilities between soccer fans at least fit into the military's concept.
In the authoritarian regimes of the Arab world, mosques and soccer stadiums are nearly the only places where people are relatively free to express themselves. These institutions are generally outside the control of the state security apparatus. And that could be a reason why soccer fans and mosque visitors played a central role in the Arab rebellions.
Soccer hooligans versus the authorities
That was certainly the case in the Egyptian uprising. Radical fans from Egypt's most successful team, Cairo's al-Ahly club, were on the front lines in the battle against the Mubarak regime.
The so-called 'ultras' were the spearhead of the revolution because they went on demonstrations; even in the years before the uprising they had bloody clashes with the police.
Perhaps even more importantly: a year ago, when armed thugs of the old regime stormed Cairo's Tahrir Square on camels to chase away the protesting masses, the battle-hardened soccer ultras were the ones who protected the peaceful Tahrir demonstrators. They made a key contribution to the fall of President Hosni Mubarak.
However, despite Mubarak's ouster, the ultras from Egypt's most popular soccer club are still in the midst of a bitter feud with the security forces, especially in light of the extensive violence against peaceful demonstrators in the months before the country's parliamentary elections. With this little bit of history in mind, it is not all that surprising that most Egyptians see an act of revenge by Mubarak supporters and their sympathizers behind the bloodbath in Port Said.
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By Loay Mudhoon
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