Egyptian military thanks woman for buying young conscript's train ticket after altercation with conductor

CAIRO - 10 September 2020: The Egyptian military has thanked an Egyptian woman who paid for the train ticket of a young army conscript after a video of the Thursday incident went viral.

 

The Transport Ministry has already apologized to the passengers of the train and suspended the train conductor and the supervisor, who both appeared in the video scolding the conscript for refusing to pay LE22 ($1.4) in a train from Mansoura, the Delta, to Cairo. 

 

The Armed Forces' statement expressed "sincere thanks and appreciation to the great Egyptian woman who witnessed the incident in the train and insisted on paying for the ticket," emphasizing that "what she did was an illustration of the goodness of the Egyptian woman who carries a lot of charity, humanity and motherhood in her heart."

 

 

In loud voices, the two men in the video demanded the conscript to take off his mask so they "could hear him," but cited Covid-19 and refused to remove it. He was the only person the video who had a mask on. Members of the military are still required to put on a mask in public places.

 

While still in the station, the train conductor attempted to tear off the conscript's insignia, and told him in a threatening tone to "fear for his stars," referring to the stars on his shoulder mark and his rank. It is known in Egypt that all military conscripts live under strict scrutiny by the designated body.

 

In the end, the conductor ordered the consript to leave the train, and when he stood up to apparently leave, a woman grabbed his arm and told him she had three sons like himself. She paid for his ticket although the conscript tried to prevent her, and then try to pay her back but she also refused. 

 

People on social media sympathized with the conscript, largely assuming he had so little money on him. Some suggested that conscript should be exempt from transportation fees during their conscription, which is a year or three. 

 

The conscript appeared calm and collected in the video. It looks like his superiors noticed that, as the statement said all military members "have the discipline that characterizes the deep-rooted traditions of the military establishment. Its soldiers are the backbone of the Armed Forces throughout the ages and they are the protectors of the the homeland in which we live,  vowing themselves as a sacrifice for their country and the great people of Egypt."