He looked exhausted as he spoke during the conference where the end of Mohammed Morsi’s tumultuous year in power in Egypt was announced. It was clear that Mahmoud Badr, the young local journalist who had become one of the leaders and spokespeople for the Tamarod, or Rebel, movement that was shunting the Muslim brotherhood out of Egyptian government, was overwhelmed by the moment.

He looked exhausted as he spoke during the conference where the end of Mohammed Morsi’s tumultuous year in power in Egypt was announced. It was clear that Mahmoud Badr, the young local journalist who had become one of the leaders and spokespeople for the Tamarod, or Rebel, movement that was shunting the Muslim brotherhood out of Egyptian government, was overwhelmed by the moment.

Words such as ‘crowds’, ‘people’ and ‘Egypt’ came easy in daily conversations, but overpowering when standing in front of the camera next to the most important figures in Egypt’s recent transition of power: Commander-in-Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Ahmed al-Tayeb of al-Azhar Mosque, Pope Tawadros II and Mohamed El Baradei, the interim vice president. At such moments, these words gain a whole new meaning and that was apparent on Mahmoud’s 28-year-old face.

Badr, who was born in Shibin Al-Qanater in Qalyubia Governorate near Cairo, is a journalist and activist. He was one of those who began a career in journalism to be more in touch with politics. Since the end of 2007, he has participated in protests staged by the Journalists’ Syndicate. He was not appointed at any of the newspapers he worked for including Sawt al-Uma, Al-Tahrir, the Emirati Al-Bayan and Al-Sabah. He works as a program planner for the 10:00 pm show in Dream Channel.  He tirelessly promoted the independent candidates in the Journalists’ Syndicate elections. “We were young men against the state,” he said notably after Dhiaa Rashwan, the independence candidate, was defeated in the syndicate’s elections at the end of 2009 by Makram Mohamed, the government’s candidate.

Badr is influenced by Gamel Abdulnaser— the second president of Egypt from 1956 – 1970 and pan-Arabist—and has been involved in activist projects since the outbreak of the 2011 outbreak.

As one of thousands of Egyptian youth working in politics during Mubarak’s final years, Badr repeated history when the Egyptians stared down the English occupation, particularly when Saad Zaghloul—leader Egypt’s 1919 revolution— went to the British commissioner to demand England to leave Egypt. At that time, the British ambassador accused them of not representing the Egyptian people and in response, a movement to collect signatures to make Saad Zaghloul and his colleagues representatives of the Egyptian people in front of England and the world was launched. This movement spread and Saad Zaghloul managed to defeat England at that time of struggle against the English occupation. Likewise, Badr and his colleagues managed to win the battle against the Muslim Brotherhood by Rebel movement’s signature campaign to which several elements, including the Egyptians’ anger at the Muslim Brotherhood’s performance during their first year in power, contributed to making the Rebel campaign a success.

“I hope you are happy my friend,” Badr posted on his Facebook page, addressing his friend Husseini Abu Dhaif, the journalist who was killed by the Muslim Brotherhood early in December during their attack on the Al-Itahadiyay Palace. “We took half of your right and you will get the other one when the perpetrator is brought to justice. I told you your blood would not be wasted.”