Third Square Youth Movement Seeks New Direction for Egypt
As clashes between Egyptian protesters continue, a small group of youth activists support neither the Muslim Brotherhood nor the army and are afraid that the growing tension will lead to more bloodshed.
While Egyptians against deposed president Mohammed Morsi stand in Tahrir Square, and Morsi supporters gather in Rabia al-Adawiya, another group of activists comes together in Sphinx Square. They refer to themselves as the Third Square, people who reject both the army and the Muslim Brotherhood. This group only contains a few hundred people, but youth activists expect that it will grow as more people get fed up with the current situation.
Although Amr Nazeer, 23, was not participating, he sympathizes with the Third Square. He is critical of Egyptians being forced to choose between two camps. As a young revolutionary who participated in the 2011 revolution and was a "helper" of the April 6 Youth Movement, he still remembers how Muslim Brotherhood youth supporters and young liberals were once unified. Nazeer says this has all changed.
"The last couple of days have been really scary. There is a lot of hatred between people, especially against the Muslim Brotherhood," he told Al-Monitor in Cairo earlier this month. "When I talk to friends about the racist comments they make about Morsi supporters — even well-educated Egyptians — they accuse me of being a Muslim Brotherhood supporter. I’m not. And Muslim Brotherhood supporters think I support the army, but I don’t. I just don’t support killing people. We’re turning into Syria."
A few weeks ago, his cousin was killed while walking in a Muslim Brotherhood march, but he also has friends who are liberals and embrace the army. With just a few other young revolutionaries, he now spreads posters of General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s face with the word "joke" on it.
