page_title: Egyptian revolution of 2011
section_title: Self-immolation
hierarchical_section_title: Egyptian revolution of 2011 / Prelude / Self-immolation
caption_attribution_description: العربية: .صورة لأحد المتظاهرين حاملاً العلم المصري خلال مظاهرات سنة 2011 في مصرEnglish: A picture of an Egyptian protester during the 2011 Egyptian revolution holding the Egyptian flag.
context_page_description: The Egyptian revolution of 2011, also known as the 25 January Revolution, started on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police holiday" as a statement against increasing police brutality during the last few years of Mubarak's presidency. It consisted of demonstrations, marches, occupations of plazas, non-violent civil resistance, acts of civil disobedience and strikes. Millions of protesters from a range of socio-economic and religious backgrounds demanded the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Violent clashes between security forces and protesters resulted in at least 846 people killed and over 6,000 injured. Protesters retaliated by burning over 90 police stations across the country.
  The Egyptian protesters' grievances focused on legal and political issues, including police brutality, state-of-emergency laws, lack of political freedom, civil liberty, freedom of speech, corruption, high unemployment, food-price inflation and low wages. The protesters' primary demands were the end of the Mubarak regime and emergency law.
context_section_description: After the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia on 17 December, a man set himself afire on 18 January in front of the Egyptian parliament and five more attempts followed. On 17 January, Abdou Abdel Monaam, a baker, also set himself on fire to protest a law that prevented restaurant owners from buying subsidized bread, leading him to buy bread at the regular price – which is five times higher than the subsidized. Mohammed Farouq Mohammed, who is a lawyer, also set himself afire in front of the parliament to protest his ex-wife, who did not allow him to see his daughters. In Alexandria, an unemployed man by the name of Ahmed Hashem Sayed was also a victim of self-immolation.
caption: Protester holds Egyptian flag during protests which began on 25 January 2011.
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