Egyptian consumers are being pushed — perhaps to their breaking point — by the surging US dollar exchange rate, the state’s lifting of energy subsidies and its imposition of a new value-added tax. Many people can no longer meet their needs with their low incomes.
In response, a call has been issued for a popular revolt Nov. 11. This call is known among social media users as Thawret el Ghalaba, which translates to Revolution of the Poor. The movement’s Facebook page, which has attracted more than 100,000 followers, urges the public “to overthrow the corrupt regime and liberate the country from those who have betrayed and humiliated the Egyptian people.”