Seven people have been arrested in Egypt for ‘promoting sexual deviancy’ after they waved a Pride flag at a concert in Cairo.
The group were attending a performance by Lebanese alt-rock band Mashrou’ Leila—whose lead singer Hamed Sinno is an openly gay LGBT+ activist.
The that the arrests were made after photos of the rainbow flag bearers went viral on social media—prompting the Public Prosecutor Nabil Sadek to order an investigation by the State Security Prosecution.
Egyptian LGBT+ rights organisation Rainbow Egypt posted about the event on its Facebook page, celebrating the act of bravery.
“Maybe a lot of us were afraid of raising the flag, to make the statement that we’re here,” the post translated from Arabic reads.
“Thank you to all who raised our flag. Thank you for making us all feel so happy with this little victory. Thanks for showing up and saying we're here.”
There are also that Mashrou’ Leila has been banned from performing in Egypt with the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate releasing a statement via spokesperson Dr Reda Rajab.
"We have already made a decision on the matter, Mashrou' Leila will be banned from performing in Egypt. We just need the support of the country's general security on the matter," Dr Rajab said on live television.
The Al Nour political party has also condemned the Lebanese band, saying ‘sexual groups had raised their flags' at the recent concert.
Mashrou’ Leila has released a statement commenting that they have been in transit as the furore has unfolded and are trying to figure out what happened.
“Our trusted sources on the ground have not been able to verify anything pertaining to the arrests or the alleged ban on future performances. We hope everyone is safe and well, and appreciate your patience.”
It’s not the first time Mashrou’ Leila has caused controversy—the group has previously been from Jordan for promoting gender equality as well as religious and sexual freedom.
