Dutch police outside the Egyptian Embassy in The Hague after pro-Palestinian protesters chained their gate on July 23, 2025. Image Credit: WAHAJ BANI MOUFLEH/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty
(The Post News) – Cairo’s British Embassy has temporarily closed its main building after Egyptian authorities removed long-standing concrete security barriers amid a dispute over an activist’s arrest.
The concrete barriers, which had surrounded the British and U.S. embassy compounds in Cairo for decades, served as a key safety precaution for decades. Their removal has raised concerns about the safety of diplomatic staff, especially as pro-Palestinian protests have become more common in the past few months.
Egyptian Pro-Palestinian Protesters Target International Embassies
According to CBS News, pro-Palestinian demonstrators have targeted international embassies and consulates—including those in the Netherlands, Austria, France, Turkey, the U.K., Canada, the U.S., and Israel—spray-painting slogans that primarily call for the “opening of the Rafah crossing between northeast Egypt and the war-torn Gaza Strip.” In some cases, protesters have chained embassy doors from the outside, preventing entry.
Egyptian authorities have yet to comment on the removal of the barriers. In prior incidents, they have tried to calm protesters by explaining that on the Egyptian side, the Rafah crossing has remained open; however, Israel controls access from the Palestinian side.
The walls were brought down after escalating tensions surrounding the arrest of Ahmed Abdel Qader, the leader of a pro-Egyptian activist group, the Union of Egyptian Youth Abroad. His detention in London last month prompted diplomatic complaints from Egypt, with officials asking for his immediate release and warning that host countries must reciprocate by providing adequate protection for Egyptian missions abroad.
The local political party, the National Front Party, has supported the removal of the barriers, arguing that they had long isolated the area and disrupted residents’ daily lives.
Meanwhile, the UK Foreign Office explained that the embassy remains operational; however, access to the primary building remains closed to the public as officials assess the security implications.
Please share your thoughts, contact Lukhona via email: journalist-lukhona@thepostnews.net
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