Officers teargas demonstrators in Cairo clashes
CAIRO — Police fired tear gas and birdshot on Monday to disperse hundreds of demonstrators calling on President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to step down over his government’s decision to surrender control over two strategic Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.
The violence in Mesaha square in Cairo’s Dokki district took place as thousands of police and soldiers were deployed Monday across the Egyptian capital ahead of the planned demonstrations over the islands, a thorny issue that already has sparked the largest protests since el-Sissi assumed power nearly two years ago.
After the arrest of dozens of activists and journalists in recent days, riot police backed by armored vehicles on Monday took up positions in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Egypt’s 2011 uprising, They also deployed on the ring road, downtown and at a square where hundreds of Islamist protesters were killed when security forces broke up their sit-in in August 2013.
Many of the protest organizers’ gathering points were sealed off by police, including the doctors’ and journalists’ unions in central Cairo. Pedestrians near the Press Syndicate were stopped by police, who asked for IDs and about their destination before turning many of them away. Minivans loaded with plainclothes policemen were also deployed in likely flash points.
Fearing another round of unrest after years of turmoil, many city residents and shopkeepers were hostile toward the protesters on Monday.
However, a group of about 500 protesters led by prominent activists managed to gather at the mostly residential Mesaha square. Their chants of “leave, leave” directed at elSissi, echoed across the square, along with “bread, freedom, the islands are Egyptian.” Police in riot gear arrived 10 minutes later and immediately fired tear gas and birdshot. The protesters fled and later regrouped in nearby streets.
From their apartments’ balconies, the square’s pro-el-Sissi residents shouted “traitors” at the protesters below and pelted them with water.
“Giving up our land is the final straw,” said one protester, 16-year-old Youssef el-Agouza. “He (el-Sissi) has crossed all lines.”
The military said in a video released late Sunday that troops were deployed to protect “vital and important installations” and deal with anyone who tries to “harm the people’s interests or attempt to ruin their happiness” on Sinai Liberation Day, a national holiday marking the completion of Israel’s withdrawal from the peninsula in 1982.
Egyptian warplanes roared over Cairo to mark Monday’s anniversary, but the military kept a low profile on the ground except for areas near military headquarters and the presidential palace. The Interior Ministry said police were out in force to protect “peaceful” citizens who wish to celebrate.