"What's your nationality? Are you Palestinian or Egyptian?" An officer dressed in civilian clothes intimidated a young football supporter who waved a Palestinian flag in the middle of the stands. The scene, captured by telephone, took place at Cairo Stadium on Friday, April 26, during the African Champions League semi-final won by Al-Ahly SC, one of the Egyptian capital's iconic clubs. A few minutes later, the crowd was chanting slogans in support of the Gazan population.

This episode might seem anecdotal were it not symptomatic of the Egyptian authorities' embarrassment at the eruptive potential of public support for the Palestinian cause. In Cairo and throughout Egypt, signs of solidarity with Gaza are omnipresent. Cabs display stickers, stores display Palestinian flags and many Egyptians wear the keffiyeh. While Egyptians' anger at the suffering of the Gazans is palpable everywhere, its expression remains contained, confined to social media or coffee-table discussions, for fear of incurring the regime's wrath.

In the streets, any attempt at protesting the Israeli offensive and the blocking of humanitarian aid has been strictly prevented by the authorities. The latest example of this occurred on April 23, when a gathering of some 20 feminists, law experts and journalists in support of Palestinian and Sudanese women victims of conflict was violently dispersed. The activists had come to deliver a letter to the United Nations Office for the Defense and Promotion of Women's Rights, demanding concrete action to protect women in Gaza and Sudan.

Within minutes, the rally was surrounded by Egyptian security officers in civilian clothes, and 16 participants were arrested. "The message delivered by those in power is clear: Not even a harmless protest will be allowed," said lawyer Mahienour Al-Massry, who was brutally tackled to the ground during her arrest. "We are experiencing a feeling of extreme frustration. While Palestinians are being massacred, we are being muzzled," said the 38-year-old lawyer, who recalled the irony of the Palestinian flag that was attached to the minibus the police used to transport them to the Tora police station, south of Cairo.

The demonstrators were brought before the State Security Prosecutor's Office on charges including participation in a terrorist group and organizing an illegal demonstration. They were eventually released on bail the following day. "It would have been complicated for the authorities to justify the detention of these leading activists. At a time when the regime wants to give the illusion of having made efforts to respect human rights, it didn't want to make waves," said Mohamed Lotfy of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.

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