A statement issued by the Civil Democratic Movement, rejecting the authorities’ demolition of a palace owned by the head of the “Conservatives” party, Akmal Qurtam, has added a new reason for the disputes and divisions within the movement, which includes a number of opposition parties and public figures.
“It was not offered to us.”
Parties affiliated with the movement denied participating in writing the statement or even knowing about the intention to issue it, and politicians and activists attacked the content of the statement, which equated the demolition of a palace with the struggle of the people of Al-Warraq and Al-Qursaya islands against attempts to displace them.
The movement issued a statement describing the demolition of the palace as “a departure from the constitution and a disregard for the provisions of the law,” and likened the matter to the cases of the islands of Warraq and Qursaya, whose residents accuse the authorities of trying to displace them in order to establish investment housing.
The movement’s statement faced widespread criticism, and Sameh Hassanein, a leader in the “Karama” party, told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the Karama party did not sign the movement’s latest statement, “We were not consulted, it was not presented to us, and we did not sign it.”
The Constitution Party sought to issue the statement before the Eid holiday, and the disagreement over the statement's content is what delayed its release.
He added: “Our position is clear: we are biased towards the poor, and we are against linking a personal issue, even if it is to spite the authorities against an opponent, with issues in which thousands of poor and simple people are affected.”
A source within the movement told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the Constitution Party was the one that sought to issue the statement before the Eid holiday, and that the disagreement over the content of the statement is what delayed its issuance.
He noted that most left-wing parties did not agree to issue the statement, and had reservations about the attempt to equate the demolition of a palace with the struggle of poor people against an attempt to displace them from their simple homes.
Since the last presidential elections, the movement has witnessed widespread disagreements between two fronts. The first includes the liberal parties, namely the Constitution Party and the Conservatives, who formed the Liberal Alliance. The second includes the leftist and nationalist parties, namely the Dignity Party, the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, the Bread and Freedom Party (under establishment), the Egyptian Socialist Party, and the Egyptian Communist Party, which together founded the Social Justice Front “People’s Right”.
Medhat El-Zahed, head of the “Socialist Alliance,” wrote on his Facebook page that the movement was founded as a comprehensive framework for political and civil forces that believe in a democratic civil state, which requires all its components to respect the rules it has adopted for itself, foremost among them being sufficient consultation and serious dialogue between the different parties before taking any positions or issuing statements that express the movement.
He added that the movement’s strength lies in its ability to build consensus among its diverse components, stressing that any positions or decisions should be the product of institutional discussions that ensure everyone’s participation and reflect the collective will of the movement, thus preserving its unity and credibility in the eyes of the public. He also pointed out that the movement stipulated in its charter full respect for the constitution and democratic principles.
He explained that the current stage requires civil and democratic forces to have more coordination and cohesion to confront the political, economic and social challenges that directly affect the lives of citizens, stressing that differences in visions are normal within any broad political alliance, but their management must be done within a framework of mutual respect and commitment to agreed organizational rules, noting that in the event of disagreement, members of the movement are forced to act independently, referring to their positions in statements in the names of their parties.
Most left-wing parties did not agree to issue the statement, and had reservations about the attempt to equate the demolition of a palace with the struggle of poor people against being evicted from their modest homes.
He pointed out that the movement’s compass must remain clearly directed towards defending the public interests of citizens and expressing their aspirations for freedom and social justice, far from prioritizing individual orientations or narrow calculations that may affect the unity of the civil position.
He stressed that the movement’s success in fulfilling its national role depends on its ability to maintain its participatory approach and consolidate a culture of dialogue and consensus among its components, thereby enhancing its ability to offer serious political alternatives that reflect the interests of citizens and respond to the challenges of the Egyptian reality.
He concluded his remarks by emphasizing that adherence to the movement’s charter and respect for institutional consultation mechanisms represent the fundamental guarantee for the continuation of the democratic civil movement as a national voice expressing the hopes of broad segments of citizens for democratic change and the achievement of social justice.
Likewise, Khaled El-Balshy, head of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, criticized the movement's statement regarding Qurtam Palace.
He said in a statement: “I sensed in the movement’s statement regarding the palace of Engineer Akmal Qartam that they feel ashamed of something – although the reasons for shame in the statement are many – so their demand regarding it came hidden behind general issues that are bigger than the original demand, so the statement was corrupted and the direct goal of the owner of the palace and those who issued it was lost. The shame that enveloped the statement and the circumvention of the main demand came after they mixed up the general issues and put them as introductions to the issue of the palace to reveal a lot.”
He added: “I tried to put myself in the shoes of those who wrote the statement, and I found many reasons to be ashamed. I will suffice here with the matter concerning my fellow journalists: The movement that mobilized for the sake of a famous businessman’s palace (under the guise of the constitutional right to preserve private property) and chose long ago to hold its events in another palace owned by him – did not concern itself with the dozens of journalists whom this man displaced, and his manipulation and his lawyer’s attempts to squander their rights or refuse compensations that the judiciary ruled in favor of a number of them, by closing the headquarters and not being able to locate the company’s address. But it mobilized for the sake of his palace, and they clothed their movement in general justifications. Perhaps if they had acted and put the issues in their proper place, one of the requirements of shame would have diminished, and they would not have needed all these introductions to their statement.”
Khaled El-Balshy, head of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, criticized the movement's statement regarding Qurtam Palace.
He continued: “I know that any infringement on rights – if their validity is confirmed – is a crime, but what is the magnitude of the crime of displacing dozens of people, and begrudging them even compensation for their lives? And for what they have given of their lives? What is the magnitude of the crime of a person who begrudges a person the right to start his life and take his legal right to compensation? To give him a grace period to start over?”
He further explained his questions: “Do the leaders of the civil movement, and those who drafted its statement, know that the rights of the journalists whom Qartam displaced or begrudged compensation to may not be worth a window in his palace?”
The statement continued: “Perhaps I would have sympathized with Qartam, after verifying his arguments and putting them in their proper perspective, without exaggerating them or formulating them into a statement that expresses a political flaw.”
He added: “If Qartam had decided to replace a window from the palace, he would have given the journalists who were displaced their rights. But he did not respond, and he stalled and evaded.”
He continued: “I might have been bothered by the image of the bulldozer demolishing the balcony of his majestic palace, had it not been for the fact that Qartam’s bulldozer of stubbornness and defiance of the law had already destroyed the lives of dozens of journalists, and even begrudged them compensation that would help them move easily, despite the established legal basis for the rights of some of them in court rulings.”
What was the reason for the demolition?
According to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the palace was “built on state-owned land.”
In a statement, it said that the area located in Abu Nimras in Giza Governorate, which includes the Qartam facilities, extends over a total area of approximately 23,500 square meters, which is more than five and a half acres.
According to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the palace was “built on state-owned land.”
According to the results of the survey conducted by the General Authority for Surveying, more than 60% of this area, which exceeds 14,000 square meters, is located on state-owned land, divided between landfill within the course of the Nile exceeding 11,390 meters, and encroachment on the property of the Shubramant Bridge exceeding 2,700 meters.
The ministry explained that the measures come in implementation of the provisions of the Water Resources and Irrigation Law No. 147 of 2021, and by decision of the Supreme Committee for Correcting Presences formed under the chairmanship of the Minister of Justice.
Qartam's legal representative requested the ministry postpone the government's demolition work, asserting that he would undertake it at his own expense. The ministry agreed and granted him a deadline until the end of May, but the deadline
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