By Azza Heikal The nation is divided over what happened on the night of 28 June, when marauders wrecked the Balloon Theatre before proceeding to Tahrir Square and rioting a bit more. When confronted by poorly paid riot police, many blamed the latter for "excessive use of force". This is unfair, let alone dangerous. To this day, Tahrir Square is under siege by protesters of unclear affiliations. The commercial heart of our capital is blocked by unknown people; some of them may have unflattering police records for all we know. And no one seems to have the heart to dislodge them, for those who challenge them risk being denounced as counter-revolutionaries, or worse. Fear has gripped the hearts of writers and intellectuals. As for the media, it is pandering to everyone, the Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood included. Have you listened to any of the talk shows of late, those shows in which people phone in to lash out at the Ministry of Interior as if it were the source of all evils? I know the army is trying to play it safe, taking its time and weighing its options. But someone needs to step in. Someone needs to enforce law and order in this country. I see no excuse for those who attacked the Balloon Theatre. It is a cultural institution with no bearing on the country's security or economic policies. And yet, the marauders who wreaked havoc on it have not been brought to justice. Has anyone taken notice of what happened in Greece lately? Demonstrators took to the streets to press miscellaneous demands, and the police confronted them. No one accused the police of being out of line. No one said that the rioters could go on a rampage unopposed. Why are things different here? I will tell you one incident that speaks volumes of our current debacle. A man drove into Tahrir Square at 2pm last Saturday. Immediately, he was confronted with two young men who banged on his car threateningly and told him to pay them LE10 before they let him go. Then one of the men shouted aloud, "The blood of the martyrs is not going to go to waste." The citizens of this country need protection. The majority of people in this country are neither revolutionaries nor counter-revolutionaries. Many have no affiliation with the Salafis, the Sufis, the Shias, or what have you. And yet, they all need protection. They all need law and order. We need to draw the line between what is legal and what is not. Otherwise chaos will prevail. The revolution was a good thing, but its many promises are not going to materialise in the absence of law and order. * This week's Soapbox speaker is professor of comparative literature , a writer and a critic
