Street Vendors بياعين - دفعونا ضرائب، متقطعوش عننا اكل العيش

Where did the revolution begin? Didn't it begin with the vendors? The poor vendors? Who died? Right? Rather than fix, you take the smallest problem and say, "I want to fix it." The smallest problem! Why don't you start with the big ones? Before you fix the small ones? The problem with the vendors is a simple one! It's not really a problem. The media made it into a issue. The amount of attacks on vendors from the media The media made the vendors into the biggest problem on the street. Me content with being a vendor? That's impossible. But those are my circumstances. Living expenses, food. I haven't found anything better to do than this. I'll tell you what would be worse, I could steal for example. But I couldn't. I'm 41 years old, I've been working here 22 years, maybe longer, and my father and grandfather before me. We've been buying and selling. We came here and we sold. I have three kids. How will they eat, if I leave the street? I couldn't find employment, could I? With salaries and unemployment the way it is, etc? You're making me unemployed! There are 5 million of us, 5 or 6 million street vendors...where will they go? Shame on you, fear God! Every one of you sitting in his seat First, he thinks that because of the vendors you took his seat They forget that because of the vendors we have a new president. Because of the vendors, the corruption of Hosni Mubarak and his cronies and the ministers was exposed. Bouazizi died in Tunisia. But there are nine million Bouazizi's ready to do the exact same thing he did. Look, it's one of two things: my home and kids. If there's no food at home, it's better for me to go out there and die. They tried Hosni Mubarak who is still.... They call him Mr. President, even now. Until now everyone says to him "you're the president". Go and prosecute those who got land for 57 piastres per meter, the north coast and all of that for free. Shame on you, you ruined this country! The land back home in the country is ruined. Even the fertilizers, ruined. Where do I go? It's one of two things. Either we live, and make an honest living, or we die. And we're the ones who protected the country. We're not off the pavement nor obstructing traffic, or causing problems. From the day the revolution started, no store was damaged here on Qasr al-Nil street. No woman complained about us, and we haven't caused problems. Ask anyone walking around here, and he'll tell you about the vendors of Qasr al-Nil in particular. The Talaat Harb vendors aren't all vendors. There's ones the police brought, ones the officers brought after the revolution. Their business went down, so they brought them here to take a share of their goods. They're not really selling out of , out of necessity. Most vendors - not all of them, but there are good and respectable people who protect their livings - those who go off the pavement or block the street, we find that unacceptable of course. I came from the countryside because I got my diploma and finished army service, and still I couldn't find work, so I came and set up here on the street. So we got used to it, and we're supporting ourselves. Do you see what happened to agriculture? The farmers are leaving one after the other. Yesterday the president was talking about "the farmers". The farmers are in debt! What can you plant now? The of chemical fertilizer is up to 200 EGP. These people mean no harm. They're just trying to make a living. We want President Morsi to walk the street, like he did that first time in Tahrir. Come and walk among the people, like Gamal Abdel-Nasser did, see folks! We want anyone who will give us a pound so we can live. People can't afford to eat. Just that, thank you. Abdel Hafiz Bayoumi. . People are good to us and treat us well, thank God. There are no problems. I've worked in this profession more than 30 years. And all that time I've known them to be good people. They stop them, do this and that to them, and take fees from them. These people are supporting households. Some have five or six children. Should they stand here or steal? I've been here in downtown for more than 27 years, Residing here and my ID address says Abdeen. I'm originally from Upper Egypt but I changed my address to here in Abdeen. The problem is, we've gotten accustomed to the fact that this is our source of income. It's the only source of making a living that keeps us alive. Just enough so we can provide for our children, who are in different stages of school. Now they come and want to force us to leave. Now they're saying we're going to find you space and stuff. So where are these places? As you can see I sell hairclips and brushes. Who's going to go into an alley or somewhere to look for a brush, comb or hairclip? No, customers pass by and like these kinds of things and then they buy them. This is the street vendor system. Then to make us leave all of a sudden, it isn't right. The country is bad enough already. We're not one. We're saying we're going to stand here, meter by meter, in a civilized way, in the way that you decide for us. And we'll pay the fees and taxes that you want, and keep things clean, and then everyone will have their card, their vendor's license, and will go on on that basis. Mosireen Subtitles by the Amara.org community