Upon the announcement of the victory of the people of Damietta in their struggle against the establishment of the Canadian Agrium plant—an infamous company with a long history of environmental and humanitarian disasters and ranked among the most dangerous in the world—the residents of the governorate took to the streets in celebration. They boasted about their triumph over the ‘death factory,’ which had been staunchly supported by the Egyptian and Canadian governments, along with a league of local corrupt officials.
The people of Damietta are accustomed to feeling pride, with or without reason. This trait does not significantly differ from that of other Egyptians. ‘We are the ones who moved the bridge,’ is a phrase inscribed in blue paint on several large walls at strategic locations, symbolizing the pride of Damietta’s people over the rare relocation of a historic bridge some years ago, turning it into an art gallery on the banks of the Nile. ‘And also the factory,’ was later added in red to the same phrase, celebrating the alleged victory in the Agrium battle and the relocation of the ‘death factory ‘ about three years ago.
The shocking truth is, the factory was never relocated. Its name was merely changed to ‘Mopco’ and placed under the umbrella of the Mubarak Chemical Industries Complex, revealing the blatant involvement of ministers in the so-called ‘Tora Government.’ These officials benefited in various ways, including, comically enough, the appointment of the former Minister of Justice’s son at the factory.
Thus, the people of Damietta remained in a delusional euphoria and false pride over a victory that never happened. They celebrated and exaggerated their narrative of resistance against the death factory, convincing themselves of its truth and choosing not to verify the reality, despite clear signs of a possible conspiracy.
A few sensible individuals attempted to highlight the unclear relationship between Mopco, located near Agrium’s site, and the entire issue. However, no one wanted to listen. Instead, these individuals were harshly attacked and accused of spoiling the people’s ‘victory’ celebration—the same people who moved the bridge and the factory, in two different colors.
The innocent citizens were duped into believing they had achieved victory, all under the guise of an elaborate conspiracy orchestrated by the former government. Key players included the then-Governor of Damietta, Mohamed Fathy El-Baradei—later promoted to Minister of Housing after the revolution—along with Ahmed Nazif, the ousted Prime Minister under Mubarak. Local newspapers have detailed this unfortunate saga, warning of an impending environmental catastrophe that threatens mass casualties, not only among humans but across various forms of life in the Ras El-Bar nature reserve on the Mediterranean coast, which has already started to show signs of impact.
The previous government, and perhaps part of the current one, excelled in crafting schemes and deceptions. The mastermind behind misleading the people of Damietta into believing he was their ally and sharing their joy of victory is now the Minister of Housing in a government supposedly brought about by the revolution.
From Damietta to Cairo! From the illusion of relocating Agrium to the broader joy of a popular revolution, one fears that this, too, could turn out to be an illusion. A nation addicted to premature celebrations may one day wake up to discover that Cairo was never the capital of Egypt, as the textbooks claimed, but rather Sharm El-Sheikh. And the hospital in which Mubarak currently resides is, in fact, his presidential palace in disguise, awaiting the storm to pass. Meanwhile, the old faces of the ‘fallen’ government might even join in celebrating with the people, who have undoubtedly written on a wall somewhere—or perhaps a thousand walls, in every colour—’We’re the ones who made the revolution.’ Oh, how I fear, Badran, what’s being plotted behind the walls.
This article is originally published by AlBorsa in Arabic and later AI-translated by South Push.