Hundreds of Egyptians protest leader el-Sissi

Rare protests against President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi occurred in central Cairo and several smaller Egyptian cities Friday night as hundreds of young people, responding to online calls for demonstrations against government corruption, chanted “Down with Sissi” and “Leave now.”

The protests, although small, occurred as el-Sissi flew to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly this week — and they were unusual for taking place at all.

El-Sissi, who came to power in a 2013 military takeover, has cemented his hold through harsh repression that has silenced critics and curtailed free speech. Dissent has been met with harsh punishments and long prison sentences.

On Friday, the police fired tear gas to disperse some groups, but other protesters continued to clash with the police into the early hours of Saturday.

Dozens of people were arrested, including at least two journalists, according to the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights. No casualties were reported.

At least four people were arrested near Tahrir Square, where Egyptians gathered to oust President Hosni Mubarak during the Arab Spring in 2011, said the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, which monitors the status of detainees.

Human-rights groups regularly denounce el-Sissi as one of the harshest leaders in the Middle East. Prisons are filled with political detainees, hundreds of websites have been blocked, and the country’s press has been largely suborned by the security services.

Still, el-Sissi has met with little resistance from Western allies, including President Donald Trump, who earlier this month referred to him as “my favorite dictator.”

The protests Friday were prompted by a call from Mohamed Ali, a building contractor who had worked with the military and has been appearing in Facebook videos alleging widespread squandering of public funds under el-Sissi and his close aides.

In one recent video, recorded by Ali from Spain where he lives in self-imposed exile, he called on the defense minister, Mohamed Zaki, to arrest el-Sissi. He urged Egyptians to take to the streets and demand the president’s ouster Friday.

Hundreds of young Cairo residents heeded that call, flooding the streets Friday evening after a soccer match between two popular Egyptian teams. Witnesses and video recordings suggested the protests were not centrally organized, appearing instead to come from spontaneous gatherings of angry young people, many from working-class backgrounds, chanting anti-Sissi slogans.

In one place, protesters denounced el-Sissi as “the thief.”