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Image posted, STR
Over the past few days, limited demonstrations were held at night in some areas of Cairo and the governorates to protest the high cost of living.
Egyptian security sources said that ten people had been arrested for “inciting to block the road” east of Cairo.
The sources added that the Public Ministry will be notified to take charge of the investigation.
On the other hand, four people were arrested in possession of Molotov cocktails in the Luxor governorate, in southern Egypt, according to security sources.
These sources added that the detainees “were preparing to use these bottles to cause riots” in Luxor.
This comes in light of a security status alert in Cairo and several Egyptian provinces, after the Egyptian contractor based in Spain, Muhammad Ali, called on citizens to demonstrate. Over the past few days, the country has witnessed limited nighttime demonstrations in various villages calling on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to step down from power.
Ali, who recently applied to Spain for asylum after asking Egyptian authorities to extradite him, called out to the streets against Sisi because of “widespread corruption and deteriorating economic conditions,” as he described it.
Egyptian security forces have arrested dozens over the past week on charges of joining a banned group and assaulting the police. The Supreme State Security Prosecutor’s Office ordered the arrest of more than 100 people pending investigations, according to human rights lawyers who told the BBC this was due to calls for demonstrations.
Social media and opposition television channels broadcasting from Turkey have posted video clips over the past five days showing evening demonstrations involving dozens in some villages and provinces, and the BBC has not confirmed their authenticity.
According to press reports, the marches covered several areas, including the governorates of Cairo, Giza, Suez, Mahalla, Fayoum, Minya, Sohag, Luxor and Aswan. In some of them, clashes broke out between protesters and security forces, who fired tear gas canisters to try to disperse them.
Muhammad Ali’s call to demonstrate against the regime in Egypt is a repeat of similar calls he launched on the same day last year. However, he did not receive a notable response.
It also comes in light of growing anger among a section of Egyptians over government decisions that decided to demolish a large number of houses, which authorities say were built without a permit on state land, and statements by President Al-Sisi threatening to use the army in demolitions if necessary.
The number of offenders is observed to be in the millions, and most of them are in the field, which makes this issue extremely important to many Egyptians.
However, Sisi’s supporters spoke of exaggerated coverage of the demonstrations and said that those behind them had failed to mobilize citizens.
