Several political entities and other syndicates declared their solidarity with the Press Syndicate on Monday, following security forces storming the building to arrest two journalists on Sunday evening.
The National Council of Human Rights (NCHR) denounced the actions of security forces against the Press Syndicate, in an official press statement issued on Monday. The council described the incident as “negligence of the law”.
“At a time when the NCHR is trying to enhance the application of the law, it was shocking to see security forces storming the Press Syndicate without informing its council. This action is considered negligence of the law,” the statement read.
The NCHR’s statement indicated that the incident would be a priority in the council’s upcoming meeting on Wednesday.
Head of the Lawyers Syndicate Sameh Ashour also denounced the incident in a press statement on Monday. This is the first incident to see members of a professional syndicate arrested, Ashour said.
Every syndicate member has the right to protest and launch a sit-in at syndicate buildings and this is not considered a violation of the syndicate’s regulations, Ashour clarified.
The Doctors’ Syndicate declared on its official website that a delegation from its council would join the journalists’ sit-in to support them in facing assaults committed by the Interior Ministry.
Head of the Engineers’ Syndicate Tarek El-Nabrwai described the actions by police forces as unacceptable and a “tyrannical assault”, according to a press statement issued on Monday.
El-Nabrwai demanded a prompt investigation on who issued this decision. The Engineers’ Syndicate is supporting the Press Syndicate in taking legal action to face these recent assaults.
This incident increased public outrage and is regarded as the first assault executed against a professional syndicate, he added.
The Egyptian Social Democratic party considers the security forces’ actions a “dangerous” step in assaulting society’s institutions, disrespectful of the law’s application, and on its way to establishing despotism security state, according to an official press statement issued on Monday.
The party called on all democratic parties and groups to unite and face these attacks.
Official spokesperson of the now-outlawed Muslim Brother Mohamed Montsar said in a statement that the police’s storming of the syndicate represents an unprecedented crime and escalation that no one dared to commit before.
Prominent talk show host Ibrahim Eissa said the incident is a crime, unprecedented even by the most dictatorial regimes.
He predicted that this operation is a step towards the complete annihilation of the law, the Constitution, and democracy.
Journalists have taken to social media to condemn the security forces’ actions, stating that the syndicate has never been breached in the 75 years since it was founded.
Moreover, dozens of journalists launched a sit-in on Monday morning inside the Press Syndicate headquarters following the storming operation executed by police forces. They demanded the prompt resignation of the interior minister and the release of all detained journalists.
