Armed clashes continue between fishermen and the police over polluting the Nile. Salonaz Sami investigates The peaceful city of Damietta witnessed more than its fair share of violence last week over fishing in the Nile, leaving three dead. A decision to remove all fishing cages along the river sparked off a battle between fishermen and police forces attempting to enforce the new mandate in the city located 200km north of Cairo. Traditionally, fishermen place wood and wire cages filled with bait to capture fish, which authorities decided are a Nile pollutant. On 3 December, hundreds of fishermen organised a sit-in inside their boats in the Nile to protest the decision. But in an ensuing battle, three fishermen were killed when police opened fire on protesters. "We only wanted a moratorium until the end of this fishing season so that we don't lose everything," El-Mohammady Abdel-Ghani, a veteran fisherman, told Al-Ahram Weekly. Abdel-Ghani, who has been in the fishing business for 20 years, explained that the outcome could have been different if it wasn't for "unsolicited police aggression". "They used tear gas, rubber bullets and shotguns; but why? We only wanted to protect our cages," he stated. "They have proven that we are regarded as second class citizens." Violence erupted when the police flipped entire boats in the water with the fishermen aboard, putting them at risk of drowning. "They were trying to get us away from the cages," recounted another fisherman, Bakkar Allam. "They surrounded us in the water in the same manner Israelis do to the Palestinians on the ground." The fishermen responded by detaining a police boat in the water, while others on land pelted hundreds of armed vehicles on shore with stones. "Then the police began shooting at us and our families, including the children," asserted Allam. The body count at the end of the day was three dead and more than 30 injured; six of them in critical condition, including two women. The police also arrested more than 30 fishermen and members of their families. Moreover, a search is underway for 20 fishermen who are believed to be lost in the Nile. "My husband is out there," said Umm Abbas, explaining that he was on one of the boats that the police turned over. "Everyone on the boat came back except him; God help us," she prayed. Allam stated that the fishermen were notified one week earlier to remove their cages, but wanted a three-month extension. Now, most fishermen will face prison terms for their actions, he added, and will have to pay for the destroyed cages from scant resources. "We pay a deposit on the cages and the rest after we sell the fish," Allam explained. "The cages that were destroyed cost a fortune which small fishermen like myself cannot afford." As well as the sit-in, hundreds of fishermen filed a suit with the Administrative Court against the prime minister, minister of agriculture, minister of irrigation and water resources, as well as the governor of Damietta. The case was postponed until 19 December. "We were hoping that the decision would be put on hold until the court ruled on the issue, but that didn't happen," said another fisherman. In the suit, fishermen are also asking for compensation for the their losses. "We are practically homeless now," said Abdel-Ghani, explaining that cage fishing is the only fishing he knows. "The Fisheries Authority and the governorate promised each fisherman 1,200m of fishing shore on Al-Manzala Lake to relocate our cages, but the lake is already divided up among other fishermen. "The fishermen at the lake won't even let us go near the water," complained Abdel-Ghani. "And I would do the same at the prospect of competition over my only source of income." Another fisherman, Ali El-Masry, voiced his suspicions that the removal decision is to the advantage of owners of fish importing companies. "They want to control the fish market and what better way to do that than by eliminating the competition," he conjectured. Water Police and the General Administration for the Protection of the Nile have removed around 400 fishing cages in the areas of Al-Srou and Al-Zarqa. The next stage of removing 144 cages in Kafr Al-Battikh, Faraskour, Al-Adlia and Al-Shobban will start soon. Omran Migahed, MP for Al-Zarqa in Damietta, condemned the unfortunate events and presented a request for a moratorium to the People's Assembly, but it was rejected. Migahed added that members of the local council and fishermen met with the head of security in Damietta to revoke or postpone the decision, but that too was turned down. "The situation should have been dealt with differently," insisted the MP. "No one should have died over cages made of wood and wire." Meanwhile, the Land Centre for Human Rights issued a statement condemning the events. "Removing fishing cages is supposed to reduce the pollution in the Nile, but what about the five-star boats which dump their waste in the Nile every day?" questioned the statement. The centre also criticised what it called "the use of excessive force" against the fishermen. "Why can't the Nile be cleaned up without killing, injuring or imprisoning innocent citizens?" it added. "A special committee should be created to investigate what happened and determine who is responsible for the murder of the three fishermen, and compensate the families for their loss," read the statement. The human rights centre also called on all civil society organisations to support the fishermen in their struggle against the removal of their fishing cages.
