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Witness History: Egypt's bread riots

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sadat CROPPED.jpg

12/05/2022 GMT

Egypt's bread riots

BBC World Service - Witness History, Egypt's bread riots

How huge unrest forced the Egyptian government to ditch a plan to increase bread prices

How huge unrest forced the Egyptian government to ditch a plan to increase bread prices in 1977.

As concerns grow around the world about increases in food prices, we go back to Egypt in 1977 when President Anwar Sadat's decision to stop subsidizing the cost of bread led to two days of rioting and at least seventy deaths. President Sadat was forced into a u-turn in just 48 hours and no Egyptian government has dared to touch the subsidy since. Ben Henderson speaks to poet and activist, Xein Abedin Fouad, whose work was blamed by the president for inciting the unrest.

PHOTO: President Sadat in 1977 (Getty Images)

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