Egypt deports, detains hundreds of activists in Cairo, preventing them from joining Gaza convoy

Hundreds of activists attempting to join the Global March to Gaza have been detained in Cairo or deported, organizers of the Soumoud Convoy and Arab-language media reported Thursday.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Thursday said it would not allow the “resilience convoy” to march from Egypt to Rafah without the necessary permits.

About 200 Moroccan, French, Algerian, Tunisian, Swedish, Danish, and other activists had been arrested upon arrival at Cairo Airport or at their hotels, Soumoud Convoy spokesperson Seif Abu Kishk said.

Issam Al-Jishi and Muhammad Shaaban from Sweden and Ziad Shaker and Karim Shaker from Denmark were on the list of those deported, Arabic-language Swedish news site AlKompis reported. Some Dutch activists were also deported, the report said.

“The Egyptian authorities decided to deport us because they knew we intended to participate in a demonstration, even though we declared we were coming for tourism,” Jishi told AlKompis.

“We were beaten, insulted, and deported by the Egyptian authorities after we organized a sit-in at the airport and chanted slogans in solidarity with Palestine when we were informed of the deportation decision,” he said. “We are now at Sabiha Airport in Istanbul, where the authorities are trying to intervene to secure our return tickets to Sweden, even though we have return tickets set for June 22.”

Moroccan police condemn Egypt’s actions

Moroccan police at Casablanca’s Mohammed V Airport condemned Egypt’s actions after receiving complaints from the deported Moroccan travelers, Quds News Network reported.

Several Libyan and Tunisian organizing groups said more than 60 Algerian activists, including lawyers and journalists, had been arrested at Cairo Airport on Wednesday morning and were still being held.

French and Turkish nationals had also been detained, the groups said, adding that their electronic devices and passports were confiscated.

Social-media footage shows what appears to be activists in detention rooms. An account called doamuslims shows activists being led to planes and deported.

The gazzeonfire account said Egyptian police had stormed the Downtown Hotel, where a French delegation was staying, and “contact with them was lost.”