Abdel Moneim Riad statue damaged during removal in Port Said

CAIRO – 8 December 2017: A statue for General Abdel Moneim Riad, which stood in Port Said, was accidentally damaged while being moved from the square which also carries his name.



A video showing the statue being damaged during the moving process, spread quickly on social media on Thursday. Users wrote comments condemning the handling of the statue, due to Riad's importance in Egyptian history.

عمليه نقل تمثال عبد المنعم رياض في بورسعيد لازم يتحاسب فيها المسؤلين عن النقل والمحافظ لغايه امتى الفشل والاهمال هيستمر في البلد لازم محاسبه لكل فاشل مهمل حقيقي الفيديو كوميدي يبكي على الحال اللي وصلناله pic.twitter.com/dZJDIGpcYX

— في الكون وحيد🇪🇬 (@amrhamdon) ٨ ديسمبر، ٢٠١٧

Twitter user said that officials should be investigated for damaging a statue for General Abdel Moneim Riad in Port Said, while being moved. This failure and carelessness should come to an end.

تمثال الشهيد عبد المنعم رياض في بورسعيد استشهد أثناء نقله !

— هنا شعب أنتيكا (@nohabrahim) ٧ ديسمبر، ٢٠١٧

another user said "The statue was martyred while being moved in Port Said!"

Riad was a former general and chief of staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces during the 1960s and in 1968; he was appointed as the Assistant Secretary-General to the League of Arab States.

The Governor of Port Said, General Adel El-Ghadban, said that the statue was removed to be replaced with a four-meter high statue, instead of the existing two meter statue which was damaged and does not fit the greatness of martyred General Riad.

The governor added in a telephone call with Al-Nahar TV channel on Thursday that there is a development process underway for the area, which includes the new statue, and that the sculptor, Tarek el Komy was commissioned four month ago to begin work on the new statue, which will be inaugurated in December 20.