CAIRO, Egypt – Dressed entirely in black, and with faces hidden behind balaclavas, Egypt’s “Black Bloc” activists have become a mainstay of the popular demonstrations that continue to rock the Egyptian capital Cairo, two years after the fall of President Hosni Mubarak.
With demonstrators increasingly complaining that the Muslim Brotherhood now in power is failing to keep its promises, and is unable to control rising inflation and acute food shortages, the new urban guerrillas see themselves as public defenders against police brutality and government-hired “thugs” that have been unleashed at many protests.
The activists, with faces hidden behind ski masks, as they confront security forces and government supporters with stones and petrol bombs, are the latest challenge to President Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.
Inspired by the Black Blocs movement popular in the 1980s in Europe and North America, it is hard to tell whether the young anarchists are part of a large organized movement, or just small groups united only in methods.
With their activities considered illegal, the young men are not keen on talking to journalists. But one of the movement’s alleged founders, who calls himself Mohamed, told Rudaw that the movement is much more organized than is publicly known.
They fight for freedom and justice, he said.
“We do not recognize the legitimacy of the Muslim Brotherhood, because they abuse religion. We want the current regime to fall like the last one did, and have new elections,” said Mohamed, a bulky young man of 21 with bruises and scars on his face, and on limping on crutches after a claimed scuffle with Muslim Brotherhood supporters.
Mohamed estimated the number of Black Bloc members close to 5,000, and growing. He said that “recruiters” did not accept anyone under 18 or over 35.
“Not everyone wearing the mask is a member of the bloc,” Mohamed explained, responding to witness reports that say young kids in black masks are often seen among demonstrators.
“There are a lot of kids out there wanting to cause trouble,” Mohamed said. “The mask is not all that important, really, it is just a symbol of unity against the government's oppression. What is important is our fight for social justice.”
Mohammed claimed that the mission of the Black Bloc was to defend the protesters against Brotherhood “thugs,” who he said were “very organized,” and as evidence of their tactics lifted his shirt to reveal recent scars and lacerations on his abdomen.
Mohammed said that, unlike the inspirational German Black Bloc, his movement did not believe in anarchy, and was not looking to create chaos.
He claimed that Black Bloc activists had formed committees in all neighborhoods of Cairo to increase cooperation, and that committees also existed in all the governorates.
Members go nightly to Cairo’s Tahrir Square, which has been the epicenter of the protests, or wherever there are demonstrations, carrying with them makeshift weapons and the trademark masks, Mohamed said.
Since their appearance in the streets, vendors in Cairo have been selling the black hoods for five Egyptian Pounds (about $0.50), virtually giving every passer-by the chance to pose as a member.
Aman, 35, sells the hoods on Tahrir Square, alongside Free Syrian Army flags and other paraphernalia. “I was selling them before January 25, but after that the masks became my best selling item,” he said.
It is hard to gauge whether the Cairo bloc is as organized as Mohamed claims, but one thing is certain: Its members are determined to be more than just a thorn in the side of the new government.
Its members are so young that, when asked if there was any particular difficulty they were facing, Mohamed said they often had difficulty obtaining parental permission to leave home at night.
“Our parents are against us, and do not want us to go the streets at night,” he said.
