Thousands riot against new flour rationing policies in Egypt

Thousands of demonstrators clashed with Egyptian police on June 7 in the coastal town of Burullus as they protested a new local policy that would give subsidized flour directly to bakeries instead of citizens, The Associated Press reported Sunday.

The state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram said that some 8,000 protesters took to the streets, blocking a major highway with burning tires. Police responded with force, firing tear gas into the crowds.

Eighty-seven demonstrators were taken in for questioning after the incident, a security official said.

According to the article, the protests were spurred in part by the town’s fishermen who rely on baking their own bread, which they say is heartier than the store-bought variety and can withstand long journeys to sea.

The government has made accusations of black market profiteering from subsidized flour sales.

For the full article, click here.