Cairo, Egypt – Egyptian artist Mohamed Ramadan’s concert, held Friday evening at the Golf Porto Marina in the North Coast region, descended into chaos and stampedes among the audience. Videos circulating online show girls attempting to escape the overcrowded area, accompanied by screams and cries for help. Other videos on social media platforms show security personnel intervening to assist several girls in escaping the crowd. Still other videos depict what appear to be harassment incidents within the audience area.
The concert was temporarily paused
According to the circulated videos, the disturbance in the audience area prompted the intervention of organizers and security personnel. Meanwhile, Mohamed Ramadan briefly paused his performance, calling for order and the safety of the attendees, before resuming the concert once the overcrowding was contained. As of now, the circumstances surrounding all the incidents shown in the videos remain unclear. Furthermore, no official statement has been issued specifying the number of incidents or definitively confirming any cases of harassment.
Calls for stricter security measures
The incident has brought back to the forefront the issue of security at large public events, especially given the increased attendance at events held during the summer season on the North Coast. The scenes of pushing and shoving raise questions about the capacity of audience areas and the mechanisms for separating entry and exit routes. They also raise questions about the deployment of security personnel and the speed of intervention in cases of overcrowding or assaults within the crowds.
