CAIRO – There are growing fears that the great January 25 revolution has descended into anarchy. Violent acts and hysterical, vague chants and rhetorical slogans appear to have deadened the wise voice of the revolution's cheerleaders, who are calling for building a new Egypt and laying down strong foundations for democracy, social justice and freedom of expression. The violence on Friday night must have had a very negative impact on the support ordinary citizens originally gave to the youthful revolutionaries. The April 6 Movement, together with liberal and democratic movements, which pioneered the unprecedented revolution in Egypt and beyond, must have rued the day when they planned Friday's million-man demonstration in Tahrir Square. The embarrassment caused to liberal and democratic movements abroad must now be much greater and unfortunate than that at home. The world's nations and their leaders, who, hours after the eruption of the Egyptian revolution, doffed their hats to the Egyptian people, must be considering whether they acted sentimentally and prematurely. The Egyptian nation must have felt humiliated when Israel urged Washington to ask the Egyptian Government to protect its embassy and diplomats. The Egyptians' dismay must have increased when US President Barak Obama contacted the Egyptian authorities, urging them to commit themselves to international rules and guarantee the safety of the Israeli Embassy and its staff. The attack on the Israeli Embassy in Giza was an act of arson and looting. The attack was not planned and launched by some people who loathe the presence of the embassy of the country of 'an enemy' in the heart of Greater Cairo. You might want to shout at me, but Israel is not an inimical country. In accordance with the Camp David accords, which ended the decades-long hostilities between Egypt and Israel, the Jewish State is a friendly country, which, like others, has the right to an embassy in Cairo. That is why the attack and on the Israeli Embassy is an outrageous breach of international norms and principles. About three weeks ago, I warned Egypt's young revolutionaries about sending the wrong message about our nation and its people to the world community. My warning was motivated by the success of a young man in ascending the high-rise, which is home to the Israeli Embassy, and bringing down the country's national flag. I had fears at the time that such national sentimentality could be exaggerated and motivate irrational youths to break down the doors of the Embassy. My fears were realised on Friday. The new attack on the Israeli Embassy was surely not inspired by the hostile attitude of youngsters towards the Jewish State. After tearing down the protective wall around the high-rise and ransacking the Archive Room in the Israeli Embassy, the lads then went and torched a State-owned property: the Ministry of Interior and the Police Headquarters in Giza. Reconstructing the tragic event of January 28, these uncontrollable youths, led by thugs and outlaws, attempted to storm the security buildings and torch them. They acted like a bull in a china shop, trashing everything in their way. The revolutionary youths should only blame themselves for Friday's tragic events. The buck starts and ends with the young revolutionaries, who abandoned the reins of Friday's mass demonstrations to lawbreakers, anarchists, saboteurs and those loyal to the disgraced regime of Hosni Mubarak. Claims by cheerleaders and members of the April 6 Movement and others, that 'some other people' were to blame, are groundless. The organisers of Friday's mass demonstration, dubbed 'Putting the Revolution back on the Right Track', should have controlled the crowds in Tahrir Square, preventing anyone from embarking on a risky adventure. That the revolution descended into anarchy on Friday will have a great impact on the general elections due in November. The liberal movements and their leaders are likely to pay the price.
