The Egyptian revolution took place following a popular uprising that began on January 25th 2011. The uprising was mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance, which featured a series of demonstrations, marches, acts of civil disobedience, and labour strikes. Millions of protesters from a variety of socio-economic and religious backgrounds demanded the overthrow of the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Unfortunately, the revolution was not without violent clashes between security forces and protesters, with at least 800 people killed and thousands injured. The uprising took place in Cairo, Alexandria, and in other cities in Egypt.
Blue Shield statement on Egypt
31 January 2011
Following the recent events in Egypt, the Blue Shield expresses its great concern about the safeguarding of the country’s invaluable cultural heritage amid the existing turmoil.
Starting last Friday evening, a number of important museums and sites in Egypt have fallen prey to looters. Thankfully, in certain cases, it has been reported that members of civil society stood to protect museums and heritage sites all over the country. This demonstrates not only the attachment of the local population for their cultural heritage and their determination to protect it, but also the vulnerability of cultural institutions, sites and monuments during times of great conflict.
Read the Blue Shield Statement on Egypt 31-01-2011 (pdf)_ENGLISH
Read the Blue Shield Statement on Egypt 31-01-2011 (pdf) _FRENCH
Visit our Missions page to read about the Blue Shield Mission to Egypt
