4/1/2022–|Last update: 4/1/202206:05 PM (Mecca)
Cairo- Over the course of two days, chants that Egyptians used to chant during the “January Revolution” in 2011 – such as “leave” and “we will not walk, he will walk” – shook the sides of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union building, which was known as “Maspero” due to its presence in the area bearing the name of the Egyptologist French Gaston Maspero.
The chants did not target the head of power this time, as it was in the January revolution, but rather demanded the departure of the head of the National Media Authority, Hussein Zain, whom the chants described as a “failer” in protest against their working conditions, low levels of wages, and the late financial dues that he did not receive. Working for several years.
Video clips circulating on social media showed a large crowd of workers inside “Maspero” and repeated chants demanding the overdue dues and the departure of Zain.
staff overcrowding
Despite the multiplicity of video clips and the clarity of the demands, the National Media Authority issued a strange statement on its official Facebook page in which it denied the demonstration of the authority’s workers, and claimed that what happened was nothing more than a crowding of employees due to the application of the new fingerprint system in entering and exiting the building.
On the other hand, a number of media professionals and employees of the authority stressed – through the communication sites – the demand for Zain’s departure, listing the crises that its workers are going through, and some of them made calls to President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to save the government media from collapsing, they said.
Participants said that the management of the National Media Authority sprayed water mixed with soap on the exit hall to prevent crowds.
This comes in conjunction with Parliamentarian Amira Saber’s announcement that she has made an urgent statement regarding the widespread protests of Maspero workers as a result of the delay in disbursing their dues resulting from the mismanagement of this institution.
Maspero did not find anyone to pity him. Kinds of Alzheimer’s home.
– Khaled Montaser (@khaledmontaser) January 2, 2022
Colleagues’ rights
Although the Egyptian media has ignored the Maspero demonstrations over the past two days, the wide spread of videos on social media has apparently forced some media outlets to interact with them.
The journalist close to the authorities, Ahmed Moussa, went out through his program “On My Responsibility”, declaring that the message of the Maspero protesters “reached all state institutions,” stressing that the demands are being studied and worked to resolve them as soon as possible, he said.
Source : Egyptian media + Al Jazeera + Sanad Agency + Social Media