The French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Egypt showed the country’s high security situation, said Alaa Abed, the head of human rights committee in parliament.
During his first official to Egypt, Macron met with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and held a joint press conference on Monday. Speaking to reporters, Macron criticised the situation of human rights in the country and stressed the need of balancing between security and stability and the protection of human rights.
Abed objected Macron’s remarks, saying that the French president was actually affected by current situation in France and media reports against Egypt. He described Al-Sisi’s response to Macron’s remarks as “genius”.
Mohamed Al-Ghoul, a member of the parliamentary human rights committee, said, “Egypt experienced a difficult period after the 2013 revolution, and no one could expect Egypt to recover and maintain strong army, infrastructure, and economy.” “France took 100 years after its revolution until the country was stabilised,” he added.
Al-Ghoul said the human rights are not limited to politics, but includes economic, cultural, and social rights, pointing out that the government has implemented several social projects.
Moreover, Al-Ghoul said that the French president attempted “to make a scapegoat of Egypt” to save his face himself from the pressures he has been experiencing inside and outside France.
Over 75,000 French people took to the streets in December 2018, according to the French interior ministry.
In order to end riots, the French police used tear-gas against the protesters who tried to break through security cordons at the Champs Elysees street in Paris. The French police arrested 16 individuals. The demonstrators protested against Macron’s economic policies following diesel tax hikes as well as the high cost of living.
