COP27: Hosting resort towns keeps Egypt tightly under control of protests

But behind its postcard-perfect exterior is a tightly controlled fortress on the Red Sea.

Climate activists say the restrictions will deter protests, which have been a way for the public to raise their voices at past summits.

Many people working in tourism have been repatriated; those who stayed require special security cards.

Holidaymakers were turned away at security checkpoints around town.

Hotel prices have increased tenfold and are overpriced. Local workers are barred from conversing freely with tourists.

In a country where protests are all but banned, the government has set up a specific venue for climate protests — except no one knows exactly where it is.

36 hours notice required. Egypt’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

In past statements, officials have pledged to allow activists to protest and participate. As COP27 approaches, the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi touts its efforts to make Sharm el-Sheikh a greener city with new solar panels and electric car.

“The choice of Egypt as the host country has been a big question mark from the beginning,” said an Egyptian activist who has been detained without trial for more than two years during the government’s crackdown on dissent.

He did not want to be named for fear he might be arrested again.

“They know that choosing Sham means there will be no protests.”

The scene could be in stark contrast to last year’s COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, when about 100,000 people marched through the streets in a rally where protesters often gathered on public squares, parks and bridges.

On Friday, a group of activists joined a small protest at a roundabout in front of the Sharm el-Sheikh conference venue calling for climate action on the continent.

A line of police stood by.

A group of UN-appointed experts has expressed concern that the environment in Egypt will not be conducive to full and open participation. Since 2013, el-Sissi, a U.S. ally with deep economic ties to European countries, has overseen a massive crackdown, jailing thousands of Islamists and secular activists involved in the 2011 popular uprising.

Many others have fled the country.

This week, prominent human rights activist Alaa Abdel-Fattah escalated a hunger strike and refused to drink water.

Outside the Sinai peninsula, where Sharm el-Sheikh is located, rights groups say more than 100 people have been detained in Cairo and other cities in the past two weeks as security forces intensify following rumors of planned protests on Nov. 11 presence in the main square. 11. COP27 will begin on Sunday and is expected to last until 18 November.

The government has repeatedly said its security measures are crucial to maintaining stability in a country of more than 104 million people after a decade of turmoil that began with the Arab Spring and years of deadly Islamic militant attacks that followed. The Sheikh has always been the government’s favorite place for meetings and high-level summits, precisely because it’s easy to control.

The 1996 Middle East Peace Summit, attended by then-President Clinton, was held here. Located in the desert near the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, Sharm Island, commonly known as Sharm Island, is a 6-hour drive from the capital Cairo.

Vehicles must pass through a heavily guarded tunnel under the Suez Canal, followed by numerous checkpoints along the highway, so that authorities can allow those deemed undesirable to return.

Parts of Sharm are fenced off with concrete and barbed wire.

An entrance is set on a concrete wall several stories high with a giant peace sign painted on it – referring to the “City of Peace”, a moniker the authorities have tried to stick to Sham.

Large boulevards in the desert connect the walled resorts, with few public places for people to congregate. Hussein Baomi, Amnesty International’s Egypt and Libya researcher, called it a “dystopian city”.

“There is so much surveillance, so much control over who enters and who leaves the city, it’s again trying to control who can talk to the international community,” he said.

Hotel staff said security at COP27 was particularly stringent — everyone had to obtain a security clearance, and since Tuesday they have been barred from leaving their workplaces or residences.

Some decided to return to their hometowns before the meeting was over. “We’re used to restrictions, but this time it’s very strict and there are no exceptions,” said a waiter at a four-star hotel.

Security in Sham has been high as Egyptian troops have been battling a decade-long insurgency led by local affiliates of the Islamic State group throughout the northern part of the peninsula.

In 2015, a Russian MetroJet crashed shortly after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board, IS.Sinai claims the attack was twice occupied by neighboring Israel: the first in Suez in 1956 During the crisis, France was also involved and Britain was involved, and later in the 1967 Middle East war.

It was returned to Egypt in 1982 as part of a US-brokered peace deal between Egypt and Israel. Since then, government-licensed developments have helped the resort on the southern coast of the Sinai Peninsula become a top beach and scuba diving destination.

The COP27 meeting was held at the large conference centre in Sharm. As in previous conferences of the parties, only official delegates accredited by the United Nations can enter the venues known as “Blue Zones”, which are considered UN territory and bound by international law during the assembly.

Another venue, the Green Zone, is for business, youth and civil society to host events during the summit.

It is unclear where the protests will take place.

One government’s COP27 website said that in addition to protests inside the venue, which required 36 hours of notice, protests outside the venue required 48 hours of notification via email.

Judging by several photos of the Green Zone in pro-government media, it appears to be on a stretch of highway or in a parking lot with a cafeteria. Last month, Governor Major General Khalid Fouda called the site “very chic and clean” in comments on local television.

“Protests are allowed, but smashing and insults are not allowed,” he said. Fouda said the government has dispatched 500 taxis to transport COP27 workers — all equipped with cameras attached to “security observation posts” that monitor driver behavior.

Neither bodes well for activism, climate protest leaders say. Greta Thunberg, the youth leader of the protest movement, said she would not participate.

“There is very limited space for civil society this year,” she said at a recent London event. “Activists have a hard time making their voices heard.”

Cost is another factor.

The recently released Egyptian activist said many people could not afford travel, and the cost of airfare from Cairo was out of reach for many in the double digits domestically. inflation.

Cristine Majeni, a youth environmental volunteer from the Kenyan capital Nairobi, pulled together the thousands of dollars needed for her 10-day trip after a grueling certification process.

“It’s critical for us to have the opportunity to participate,” she said.