The small but well-knit Egyptian community in Christchurch took to the City Square on February 12 to celebrate the change of guard in their home country.
Ola Kamel, Chairwoman of The Egyptian Association of Canterbury said the event gave vent to the feelings of the community.
“This is a reflection of our joy and we gathered to pay tribute to Egyptians back home. We are free at last and we look forward to a better regime in which the Egyptian people can live in democracy and freedom,” she said.
Ms Kamel said her Association was the only official and legal organisation representing the Egyptian community in New Zealand.
Egypt went into turmoil in January with thousands of people taking to the streets of Cairo and other cities, demanding that President Hosni Mubarak should step down. He refused initially but after 18 days of protest, which turned violent, he stepped down on February 11, handing over power to the military.
The announcement, made during evening prayers in the Egyptian Capital, set off a frenzy of celebrations, with thousands of people shouting, “Egypt is free.”
The events in Egypt set off similar protests in other parts of the Middle East including Bahrain, Libya and Yemen.
