Atef Fathi Abdel Fatah El-Gawhary
Atef El-Gawhary did not belong to any political party in Egypt. When he was Volunteer corporal in the army, he was a an excellent cook. He was responsible for the officers’ restaurant during his army service. He was politically aware and conscientiousness. He participated in all the events of the Revolution since the beginning and was injured more than once. He used to travel between his work in Hurghada and Cairo to participate in political events.
One protestor participating in the sit-in at the Square picked up a speech from him in October 2011, in which he said: “This is a real revolution, it’s made for justice so that the hungry could eat, and the sick would find treatment, and the thief would be put in prison. After 9 months of the military ruling what had happened? The hungry are even hungrier, the sick are on the verge of dying, and the thief is free outside the walls of the prison, [now] there are more than 11 thousand young people in the military prisons.” He also criticized Mohamed Hussein Tantawy, the former Minister of Defense in his speech.
Azza Hilal, Atef El-Gawhary’s fiancee, another participant in the revolution who Atef proposed to after she was assaulted by police forces at the Council of Ministers demonstration, says that despite ideological differences Atef believed: “The important thing is that we carry on the Revolution and reach our goals.” Atef carried on protesting at the sit-in in El-Abbasiya Square for three whole days. Atef was killed in an attack by thugs, with a bullet to the head while defending a few of his fellow protesters.
His friends said the following about him:
“He participated in most of the sit-ins after the Revolution. He was keen on supporting the families of the martyrs who were organizing protests to demand vengeance for their loved ones. He was also a frequent visitor of the injured victims of the Revolution and always said that he will forever remain chanting against the Military rule until the regime steps down or he would become a martyr. A month before he was killed he applied for a new job at a famous Italian restaurant chain with a big monthly salary.
The company chose him along with three others from the five that applied, but he was hesitant to accept the offer in fear that his work would prevent him from his activism and from supporting the revolution. He was efficient at his job as a chef and he was renowned in his field to the extent that some tourists would recommend to their friends when coming to Egypt to make sure to eat the food he prepared.
Atef El-Gawhary, remains someone that is appreciated by everyone even after his death. The activists and revolutionists organized more than one initiative to commemorate his memory.