The whistleblower whose video revelations about President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s palaces sparked mass protests and a fresh crackdown in Egypt told Middle East Eye in an exclusive interview that he will not stop until the dictator is removed.

As a wave of renewed protests against Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi spread across the country in mid-September, Egypt’s major internet service providers restricted access to international news sites which covered the protests, including the BBC and Al Jazeera, as well as social media platforms including Facebook.

The anti-government demonstrations that broke out in a number of Egyptian governorates Sept. 20 were met with further restrictions on the press and other media, including the blocking of several international news websites, the denial of internet access and the hindering of social networking sites.

Eight years after the eruption of Egypt’s historic January 25 revolution, Egyptians are back on the streets protesting. But over the last eight years a lot has changed, and a lot hasn’t.

The last two weeks have marked one of the most intense political moments of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s time in office: viral videos from a brash contractor-turned-actor that were the epicenter of corruption and squandered public funds allegations, the popular protests that ensued and the staunch security crackdown that landed …

Egyptian state officials, members of parliament and the country’s pro-government media are fervently working to contain the anger on the streets and prevent a recent wave of dissent from escalating into a full-blown political crisis.

On 2 October, Egyptian film star and political activist Amr Waked tweeted his opinion that Twitter and its CEO Jack Dorsey “should investigate their management and behavior of dictator loving @[email protected]”, a reference to what Twitter defines as “the official Twitter account for the Middle East and North Africa”.

Human rights activists in the United States are questioning Washington’s decision to push ahead with legislation that would transfer $1.3bn in military aid to Egypt, in light of recent protests calling for the fall of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s government.

Egypt’s State Council Judges Club and the Administrative Prosecution Authority Judges Club each held meetings Sept. 14 to discuss changes from the tax authority that will increase income taxes on Egypt’s judges, a judicial source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is not the only one playing down the outbreak of protests against his rule. So too are politicians and media in neighbouring Israel.