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2019-09-28 Africa North
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Renewed anti-Sissi protests hit Egypt, as his supporters stage their own rallies
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[IsraelTimes] Security forces have arrested 2,000 people in effort to put down demonstrations sparked by construction magnate’s viral videos accusing president and military of corruption.
Scattered protests broke out Friday in Egyptian cities against President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi
as his supporters also erupted into the streets in counter demonstrations a week after rare anti-Sissi rallies shook the country.
| The Jerusalem Post has more about the police and army response, and mentions that Mr. Ali or Aly is an actor as well as a construction contractor. |
Continued from Page 1
Police blocked streets leading to Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime-autocrat Hosni Mubarak
...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
, after calls by exiled businessman Mohammed Aly
| ...the shadowy Egyptian who out of nowhere has suddenly taken an interest in Egyptian politics, and may be a Muslim Brotherhood sock puppet. Alternate spellings are Mohamed Ali and Mohammed Ali... |
for a "million-man march."
Construction magnate Aly’s viral videos accusing Sissi and the military of corruption sparked shock protests against the president last weekend, with hundreds taking to streets across the country calling for Sissi’s ouster.
But the security forces have since moved swiftly to snuff out further protests, arresting nearly 2,000 people in seven days, rights groups said.
Elected president in 2014, a year after pushing predecessor Mohammed Morsi and his Moslem Brüderbund from power, Sissi is seen by many as one of the most authoritarian figures in the Middle East.
And after arriving home from the UN General Assembly in New York, Sissi Friday insisted there was no cause for alarm.
"There are no reasons for concern. Egypt is a strong country thanks to Egyptians," he told news hounds.
Despite the heavy security presence in the capital on Friday, hundreds erupted into the streets in Cairo’s Warraq island district, a witness told AFP
"About 3,000 people demonstrated after Friday prayers," he said, adding police used tear gas to break up the crowds.
A video posted on social media showed chaotic scenes as people ran to avoid the noxious gas.
In southern Egypt, small-scale protests were staged in Qus and Qena city, other witnesses said.
"A hundred people went out in Qus and tore down banners bearing photos of Sissi," one said, before security forces "took control of the situation."
Entrances were closed off to Tahrir Square, where surrounding cafes have been shuttered for the past week. Nearby streets were deserted except for coppers frisking passersby.
‘RIGHT TO PROTEST’
In Cairo’s Nasr City about 1,000 people turned out Friday afternoon in support of Sissi, according to an AFP journalist.
Men and women waving Egyptian flags and photos of Sissi streamed through an area near the tomb of former president Anwar Sadat.
Images broadcast on state TV showed the crowd chanting pro-Sissi songs.
Apart from beefing up their presence on the streets, the security forces have also detained people they suspect of being key influencers of unrest ‐ journalists, human rights
...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
activists and lawyers.
UN rights chief Rights Michelle Bachelet expressed "serious concerns about reports of lack of due process following widespread arrests linked to the protests in Egypt."
More than 2,000 people have been detained since last weekend’s protests, according to the UN quoting civil society groups, in what could be the biggest crackdown since 2013.
"Under international law people have a right to protest peacefully," Bachelet said in a statement.
"They also have a right to express their opinions, including on social media. They should never be detained, let alone charged with serious offences, simply for exercising those rights."
The attorney general’s office said "not more than 1,000 protesters" had been questioned by prosecutors.
It said prosecutors had orders to "inspect the social media accounts and pages of those detained."
SISSI ‘INTENDS TO STAY’
Analysts said they expected any further protests to meet a tough response as Sissi seeks to preserve his security credentials.
"Sissi has made it clear he intends to stay in power for quite some time ‐ and protests will not change that calculus for him," said H.A Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
The president "appears... convinced that any protests that go beyond a certain point would be destructive not only to his presidency, but the state more generally," he told AFP.
In August 2013, just over a month after Sissi toppled Morsi, police dispersed two camps full of supporters of the Islamist leader in Cairo, killing about 800 people in festivities, according to official figures.
The government named the Moslem Brüderbund a "terrorist organization" later that year, but the crackdown on opposition has extended to secular organizations and human rights activists.
While Aly’s videos have gained huge traction ‐ shared millions of times online ‐ they have provoked fervent counter-attacks from the president’s backers, using the hashtags #longliveSissi and #theywantchaos.
For those supporters, Sissi’s six years at the helm ‐ including five as president ‐ have shown him to be a bulwark against the insecurity and political disintegration unleashed by the Arab Spring elsewhere. 
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Posted by trailing wife 2019-09-28 00:00||
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Posted by Skidmark 2019-09-28 13:17||
2019-09-28 13:17||
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