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- In the years that have followed the revolution, Cairo’s streets have undergone a series of reconfigurations. In order to impede clashes and isolate important centres of power, successive authorities have constructed concrete walls across certain streets; in other cases, roads have been closed, or gates constructed. The city’s urban landscape is in a constant flux as once open sites have been segmented. Reinforced by a series of laws to clamp down on oppositional voices, these structures serve as physical reminders of the demolition of the open dissent that briefly emerged. “Now,” said Attawa, “the increasing presence of police, military police, and army in front of the population strips away their sense of ownership - especially with Tahrir.”
The military regime has re-appropriated sites of protest and public spaces in the city, altering the relationship between the state and citizens, as well as the population’s relationship to the city itself. Blockades and a stronger presence of security forces have reinforced the de-politicisation of the city that once erupted with defiance.