“Live, freedom, social justice, and human dignity.” This is how Egyptians expressed during the revolution of 25 January 2011 their demands and aspirations for a better future, and the word “live” was strongly present in all chants, and it is the word that Egyptians express about bread, and sometimes even Whole life.

Violating the "livelihood", whether in its outward meaning or work and life in general, is considered one of the red lines for Egyptians and successive governments, but it seems that the regime of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi decided to cross this red line, but in an indirect way, it angered the pioneers of social networking sites.

The deception practiced by the Egyptian authority regarding the "livelihood" came through the decision of the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade to reduce the weight of a loaf of bread from 110 grams to 90 grams.

The Ministry justified the decision by claiming that it responded to the demands of the General Division of Bakeries by recalculating the production cost of one bag of flour, and increasing it from 213 pounds to 265 pounds (the dollar is about 16 pounds), by increasing the number of loaves produced from one cell to reach 1450 loaves instead of 1250 loaves, This means reducing the weight of the loaf, while keeping its price at 5 piasters per loaf for the subsidized loaf.

She said that the increase in the production cost comes in response to the demands made by the bakery owners a lot due to the high prices of gas and diesel and the wages of labor and water, indicating that this cost is reconsidered every start of a fiscal year or whenever needed or necessary.

The Ministry of Supply confirmed that a set of constants in the bread system will be preserved, the most important of which is the survival of the price of a loaf of bread for the Egyptian citizen (5 piasters on the ration card), stressing that it is the lowest price on the global level, as the state continues to bear the difference in the production cost of one loaf of bread. Which amounts to more than 50 piasters.

Member of Parliament, Haitham Hariri, presented an urgent statement to the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Transport and Supply regarding reducing the weight of a loaf of bread, and before him increasing the prices of metro and trains.

"Does the government know what it means to reduce the number of bread loaves from 5 to 4, due to the increase in diesel prices, which we have demanded a lot not to increase, because it is used in industry, agriculture, tourism and transportation?" Hariri asked.

He stressed that the government does not understand the meaning of these increases for a people who are groaning and suffering, and have not felt any fruits of what they call economic reform in light of the increase in the prices of all services such as electricity, water, gas, gasoline and solar, and in light of the low and low value of salaries for workers in the state, and laws and practices that threaten the security and stability The Egyptian family, especially the civil service laws, early retirement and reconciliation in construction violations.

Social media users circulated pictures of the loaf of bread with its new weight, and some confirmed that its real weight does not exceed 70 grams, while others pointed out that despite its poor condition, it remains a haven for the poor in a country where about two-thirds of its population falls below the poverty line, according to international reports.

Tweeters said that what is happening from a sudden increase is due to Sisi directives without feeling the citizen or what he faces in terms of battles in light of the high unemployment rate due to the Corona virus.

Others expressed their anger, stressing that the government has become a government of tax collection and collection, especially with the issuance of those decisions with the law on reconciliation in building violations, which some considered a plunder of citizens.

When you raise the price of a metro ticket, make a loaf of bread, and raise the price of electricity, gas and water, it
remains biased towards the poor, because money is their waste وظ # The poor_ they enter paradise pic.twitter.com/y7cJ35DcfK

- Magda Mahfouz (@magdaMahfouzeg) August 18, 2020

Increase the price of electricity,
increase the water,
increase the mobile bill

Basha is the whole increase, no increase in
weight, no reduction in the weight of a loaf of bread

Medicine and then?
The beginning of the famine of Dy and no pic.twitter.com/TLRnXXSjii

- Majabeesh Al-Ajab (@ Mahmoud97883671) August 18, 2020

In less than a week
- Deduction of 1% of workers' wages and 0.05% of pensions
- Increased metro ticket wish
- Reduced the weight of a loaf of bread from 110 grams to 90 grams # Leave_y_sissi pic.twitter.com/lRJi87bOKD

- Kassem Matter (@MatterKassem) August 18, 2020