Shortly after the fall of Mubarak (2011), the military government started to build walls in an area between Cairo’s Tahrir Square and the government district, along Mohammed Mahmoud Street, with the objective of securing the nearby ministries.
In the winter 2012, just before the convention of the Constitutional Committee, the barricades were reinforced and extended. The Mursi government thus wanted to protect the members of the Committee against the protest coming from opponents while they were deliberating the draft of the new Egyptian Constitution. These walls still stand today, a symbol cast in concrete displaying the government’s fear of its own people.
Still the concrete blocks are meant to prevent people from gathering freely and thus to repress a fundamental right. Even though, they serve as a space where opinions could be expressed, including criticism of the new regime.
