Crescent International
Egyptians are beginning to realize that the military and the regime it backs are not there to serve the interests of the people. Hitherto, only supporters of the Ikhwan al-Muslimoon (Muslim Brotherhood) were concerned; now this has spread to the wider society. Students have also joined in large numbers.
Cairo,
November 29, 2013, 16:49 EST
Egyptians have hardly witnessed a single day of peace since the military coup ousted the country’s first ever elected president Mohamed Mursi on July 3. Friday is the usual day of protest as Muslims gather for Jumuah salat (prayer).
Today was no different. Thousands of Egyptians took to the streets after Jumuah salat in several cities across the country. The latest protests had a new dimension added to earlier demands for the restoration to power of the ousted president. People across a wide spectrum of political opinion protested against a new law that puts restrictions on demonstrations.
These have been imposed despite the regime claiming that the state of emergency that was in force since August was lifted on November 14. The military-backed regime was rattled when protesters took to the streets in large numbers after the emergency ended. It scrambled to impose new restrictions on protest rallies. These included a demand that protesters must submit an application to the interior ministry three days prior to holding a rally.
Additionally, if there are any disturbances such as clashes with rival groups, the protesters will be held liable. It is easy for regime-hired thugs to disrupt rallies.
Today, there were protest rallies in Cairo’s Giza district, Matrouh, Alexandria, Monufia, Demitta and Behira, Minya, Sohag and Bani Seuf. The interior ministry admitted arresting 183 supporters of the Ikhwan al-Muslimoon (Muslim Brotherhood), 106 of whom were arrested in Cairo.
There were clashes between protesters and the police in Alexandria where people were angered by a court handing long prison sentences to 21 female supporters of Mursi, many of them juveniles, for holding a peaceful rally. They are still held in prison in appalling conditions. The youngest is 15 years old.
The police admitted to using tear gas and water cannons against peaceful protesters in Cairo and Alexandria.
Yesterday, one person was killed and dozens injured in Cairo when the police attacked students protesting harsh sentences handed down to their colleagues. Thousands joined the funeral procession for Mohamed Rewda, the Cairo University student shot and killed by the police yesterday.
Meanwhile, increasing numbers of Egyptians are disillusioned with the current military-backed set up. About 46 percent of Egyptians say the country was worse off since Mursi’s removal, compared to 35 percent who believed it is better and 18 percent who said “about the same”. The findings were made in a poll this week by the US-based Zogby Research Services.
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