Protesters from the Popular Current, Dostour Party, Karama Party and April 6 Yout Movement staged a protest in front of the Desouk city council in Kafr al-Sheikh early Friday evening as part of the nationwide “Trial of the Regime” protests against President Mohamed Morsy.
After Friday prayers, a march kicked off from Ibrahim al-Desouky Mosque to the city headquarters. Protesters chanted demanding the that the goals of the revolution be achieved. They started a sit-in outside the building.
A number of protesters also blocked Desouk al-Olwy Bridge, causing major traffic congestion throughout the city. The bridge connects Kafr al-Sheikh to the Beheira, Alexandria and Matrouh governorates.
In Tanta, hundreds of demonstrators stormed the Freedom and Justice Party headquarters earlier in the evening, tearing down and burning the party’s banners while chanting slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood.
Some demonstrators then marched to the Tanta Court, pelting rocks at the building before heading to Mahata Square.
Also on Friday evening, protesters in Mahalla al-Kobra City blocked Bahr Road off of Shoan Square, setting tires on fire to stop traffic as they demanded the prosecution of members of Morsy’s administration.
"Retribution, retribution for the revolution’s martyrs," and, "Oh martyr, by your blood [we swear], another revolution anew," they chanted.
Opposition political forces called for the nationwide "Trial of the Regime" protests to demand that the Morsy administration, who they hold accountable for the deaths of protesters in January at the Ettehadiya Presidential Palace and in Port Said and Suez, be put on trial. They demand Morsy’s ouster, early presidential elections, and a veto on the Shura Council’s Parliamentary Elections Law, which puts Alexandria in the second phase of voting in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Protesters claim the law gives Islamists an unfair opportunity to regain popularity in the governorate after failing to win in Alexandria during the presidential elections.
Also in Mahalla, dozens gathered in Shoan Square, distributing leaflets that read, "Since President Mohamed Morsy came to power in Egypt, he has been working hard along with his group to bury the revolutionary movement." The president used security forces to suppress demonstrations, resulting in the killing, injury and arrest of many protesters, the leaflet alleged.
The statement proclaimed that the people's will would triumph over oppression and tyranny, and the people would establish the state they dream of in the end.
In Alexandria, hundreds of protesters marched from Al-Qaed Ibrahim Mosque to the northern military region after Friday prayers.
The first of four marches left immediately after Friday prayers ended. Protesters called on military leaders to deploy soldiers to oust Morsy and hold early presidential elections. The second march included dozens of women. In the third, protesters rejected the army’s interference in politics, chanting: “No military, no Brothers, Egyptian people are in the square.” Protesters in the forth march called for nationwide civil disobedience and the toppling of the Morsy administration.
Early Friday afternoon protesters in Port Said’s Shohada Square escalated their demands for Morsy’s removal. Massive marches kicked off from mosques across the city, led by Ultras Masrawy, opposition political groups and the families of those killed in the recent clashes. Protesters called for a continuation of civil disobedience until their demands are met. Friday marks the sixth day of civil disobedience in Port Said, which has suspended the work of several state bodies in the city.
Protesters staging a sit-in outside the governorate headquarters urged demonstrators to remain peaceful, and to respect state and private facilities. Popular committees were formed to attempt to detect infiltrators or armed thugs.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
