( AFP Photo\ Stringer)
By: Emily Crane
The Popular Current has called for its members to stage peaceful sit-ins and form human chains in governorates across Egypt beginning at 5 pm on Tuesday in solidarity with the cities of Mansoura and Port Said and to protest continuing violence and repression by security forces.
In Mansoura, violent clashes broke out on Saturday following the funeral of Hossam Abdallah Abdel Azeem who was killed by a Central Security Forces (CSF) vehicle on Friday. The violence was triggered when mourners attacked the security forces with rocks and the CSF retaliated with teargas and birdshot, arresting 88.
Funeral marches also led to renewed violence and a rising death toll in Port Said on Monday. Protesters set fire to two government buildings resulting in the police opening fire on protesters, killing two, according to activist and eyewitness Ibrahim Al-Sayad.
The Popular Current’s peaceful demonstrations aim to condemn such violence.
“We want to come together to stand by the people of Mansoura and Port Said,” said Ahmad Hassan, the organiser for the event in Alexandria.
The event is being organised through the group’s Facebook page, listing specific locations where the sit-ins are to take place in each governorate, including the Qasr El Nil Bridge in Cairo. Participants are to gather under the following three slogans: “Victory, oh Port Said,” “The people want the fall of the regime,” and “Civil disobedience is the way to finish the revolution”.
The event is expected to last about two hours, Hassan said.
Additional reporting by Hend Kortam and Fady Salah
