"Revolution" or "dictatorship": in Egypt, the Tunisian crisis divides social networks
Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed greeted by his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sissi in Cairo, April 9, 2021. AFP - -
Text by: Alexandre Buccianti
5 mins
In recent days, Egyptian Internet users have engaged in a real duel between supporters and opponents of President Kaïs Saïed.
In the Nile Valley, no one has forgotten that the Tunisian uprising against Ben Ali had been the catalyst for that of the Egyptians against Mubarak.
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From our correspondent in Cairo,
For the supporters of Kaïs Saïed, it is today Egypt which is the example.
An Egypt which, according to these Internet users, quickly got rid of the "
cancer of the Muslim Brotherhood which was beginning to plunge the country into chaos
".
A chaos which, on the other hand, struck Tunisia where the Muslim Brotherhood of Ennahda directly or indirectly reigned for ten years.
The Tunisian president carried out "
a corrective revolution demanded by the people and in accordance with the Constitution
", they write on Facebook and Twitter.
Twitter on which Egyptian Internet users participated in the launch of the hashtag "
Tunisia is rising against the Brothers
".
A feeling of revenge emerges: "
Tunisia was cited as a democratic model and finally it does like Egypt
", we can read.
►
To read also: Tunisia: the time trial of Kaïs Saïed on the political and economic fronts
"
Dictatorship in progress
" and risks of a "
civil war
"
But for the opponents of the Tunisian president, Egypt is precisely the model not to be followed.
A model that brought a much more authoritarian power than that of Mubarak against which the Egyptians had risen up.
It is the failure of a revolution which ended in dictatorship, believe some Internet users.
For Kaïs Saïed's opponents, the Tunisian president proceeded with a coup d'etat like the one operated by the Egyptian army against the democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi.
They support the President of the Tunisian Parliament and leader of the Ennahdah party, Rached Ghanouchi, and call on the international community, in particular Europe, to exert pressure to make the “
putsch
”
fail
.
They also believe that the Tunisian people will rise up against the “
moving dictatorship
” and some warn against the risks of a “
civil war
”.
►
See also: Tunisia: three deputies critical of President Kaïs Saïed arrested
Conflict since the 1950s
Thus Tunisia serves as a pretext for settling scores between Egyptians, with nationalists and liberals on one side and leftists and Islamists on the other.
The conflict began in the 1950s when the army and the Muslim Brotherhood, allies against the monarchy, split for power after two years of joint rule.
A scenario which was repeated against Mubarak and which ended in the same way: the army which wins and which represses the Muslim Brotherhood.
If today, Egyptian power directly or indirectly controls the media, social networks are more independent.
Hence the war of tweets and posts that has been going on there for years.
►
To read also: The broken dreams of the "Arab Spring"
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Egypt
Tunisia
Human rights
Muslim Brotherhood
Kaïs Saïed
Abdel Fattah al-Sissi
Mohamed morsi
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