7 Egyptians arrested after raising rainbow flag

MENA

Published: 2017-09-26 13:36

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 23:29


(Facebook)
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Egyptian authorities arrested 7 people on Monday, accusing them of being gay and promoting homosexuality, reports Associated Press. The people had raised rainbow flags, symbols of solidarity and empowerment within the LGBT+ community, at a concert.

While there is no actual law criminalising either accusation, Egypt has been widely known to arrest, prosecute, and persecute people accused of homosexuality, under charges of “debauchery” and, as is the current case, “inciting immorality”, according to security officials, and were pressed after the arrestees raised these flags at a concert by the Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila.

After the concert, which was attended by 35,000 people, images and videos of the act were distributed online, often by the people themselves. They received mixed reactions, with some praising the move as a step forward while others deeming it “blasphemous” and expressing their opposition. It seems that Egypt, expectedly, aligned itself with the latter.

The country has now banned Mashrou’ Leila from performing there again, following in the footsteps of Jordan, which had previously banned them two years in a row. Following the ban in Jordan, they issued a strongly-worded statement, which led to a Jordanian MP to attack their fans online and within the community.