Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets today to take part in nationwide protests.
Since early this morning, Central Security Forces vehicles, prisoner trucks, riot police and police dogs have been trying to control protestors hoping to congregate in four pre-arranged locations in Cairo’s Shubra neighborhood, Mataria district, and in front of Cairo University and in the Gamat El Dowal Street in Mohandeseen. Additional protests are scheduled in nine other governorates.
At 10:00 am, the streets of Cairo were hauntingly quiet. But slowly reports of protests began to spread. Just before noon, a number of protestors were heard chanting "Bread and Freedom," at the district of Dar El Salam, according to Gamal Eid, head of the Arabic Network for Human Rights. Security forces managed to disperse the protesters less than one hour later.
At the same time, it was reported that 300 protestors were demonstrating in Rafah, in the Sinai.
Back in Cairo, in the suburbs of Dar Al-Salam and Maadi, youth marched around, chanting "Our blood, Our souls. We'll sacrifice for you, our country."
Meanwhile, there were reports of protests taking off in Moharram Bek in Alexandria, but were denied by an Ahram Online reporter. A couple of hours later a demonstration broke out in the city's Asafra district. An Ahram Online reporter said that the demonstrators were carrying Egyptian flags and chanting against the emergency law.
While no protests were reported in downtown Cairo early in the morning, at around noon 100 protesters began a demonstration in front of the lawyers syndicate in Ramses Street, where they chanted against the interior minister. Then, more than a thousand protesters reached Abdel Moneim Riyadh Square in downtown Cairo. The police shut down Ramses Street and banned entry to Lazoughli square, next to the interior ministry.
An Ahram Online reporter witnessed a march of at least 2000 protesters heading towards Tahrir square in downtown Cairo.
More than a thousand protested in front of the Mustafa Mahmoud Mosque in Mohandseen, while several marched in Masr El Qadeema. In Shubra, 500 protestors congregated and marched around the suburb, while hundreds more demonstrated against the National Democratic Party headquarters on the Nile Corniche. Marchers also reached the Foreign Ministry on the Nile Corniche.
In the northern Egypt, former MP Hamdeen Sabahi led another protest in the Port Said Square in Balteem, Kafr El Sheikh.
According to the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights, 25 were arrested in Assiut and Tanta. There have been a few clashes between protestors and riot police.
In Alexandria, thousands protest in Sidi Beshr area.
Sporadic riots have also broken out in Mahallah, Aswan, Suez, Baltim, and in Mansoura.
Back in downtown Cairo thousands of protesters have taken over to Tahrir square.