GIZA, Egypt: Giza residents forced trains in Upper Egypt to stop running today when they started a sit-in on the railway lines in Mazareq, part of the greater Cairo area. Giza residents and drivers are arguing over a piece of public land. Residents want to build shops on the land, but drivers want to park their cars there. “The Railway Authority has no part in this struggle. Giza residents held their sit in without regard to disrupting railway movement,” said Hany Hegab, head of the Railway Authority. Hegab said the authority has called for help from the Egyptian army and police forces. Police investigations revealed that Giza residents first blocked the highway between Cairo and Assuit and then moved to the railway lines to hold their sit-in. It should be noted that residents have blocked the same railway five times before for various demands. Some Egyptians feel strikes or sit-ins are the only way to make the government listen to their demands.
