Egypt Prohibits Yellow Vest Sales to Prevent French-Style Riots - Retailers

15:35 GMT, 11 December 2018

The step was taken amid fears expressed by Egyptian authorities that opponents might use the yellow vests to copy French protests, as the state is reportedly facing the prospect of an uprising similar to the one which erupted back in 2011.

Sputnik

The sale of yellow reflective vests is now partially banned in Egypt after state officials instructed retailers not to sell the vests to non-commercial buyers.

Furthermore, consumers now require police permission to purchase the vests from retailers throughout the country.

The yellow vests have emerged as a symbol of resistance in France in recent weeks, and are now heavily associated with the wave of protests that have been shaking the country since November.

'Yellow Vests' are Outcome of EU's Decade-Long Austerity Measures – Activist

11 December 2018, 06:45 GMT

In the 2011 protests which took place as part of the Arab Spring, Egyptian protestors successfully overthrew then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

A wave of Arab Spring uprisings spread from Tunisia to Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, and elsewhere across the Middle East and beyond in 2011. The fall of a number of authoritarian regimes led to increased instability and chaos in the region.