Riot police dispersed a protest in Al-Mesaha Squsre in Dokki using teargas, just minutes after hundreds gathered in the square to chant anti-army and anti-regime slogans.
The protesters, according to a Daily News Egypt reporter present at the scene, were chanting “down with military rule”.
After the teargas was fired, protesters scattered into side streets while security forces dressed in plain clothes arrested a number of protesters, specifically targeting journalists with cameras.
Near the Press Syndicate, dozens of pro-regime protesters gathered to celebrate Sinai Liberation Day, in addition to showing support for President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and the army, according to an eyewitness.
The witness also said random arrests were taking place near the syndicate, and detainees were placed inside police vehicles.
In Dokki, near the Al-Behoos metro station, journalist Sarah Hamdy was arrested. It remains unclear whether she was arrested following a flash protest that began in Nahya and had attempted to reach Al-Behoos.
Danish journalist Stefan Sigaard Weichert and Norwegian freelance journalist Harald Christian Hoff were arrested during the protest in Nahya.
Earlier on Monday, during the day’s first protest, riot police dispersed a protest in Nahya, Giza. 6 April Youth Movement organiser Hamdy Qeshta was arrested at the protest, along with an unknown number of protesters.
According to 6 April, the protest was supposed to march from Nahya to Al-Behoos.
Journalists Basma Mostafa and Mohamed El-Sawi, who were arrested in Tahrir Square earlier on Monday, were released after being detained and transported to the Al-Gabal Al-Ahmar security detention center in Nasr City.
Mostafa and El-Sawi were arrested along with Eslam Al-Banna and four others, according to a Tweet posted by Mostafa’s husband Karim Abdelrady.
Moustafa Reda, editor-in-chief of Al-Tarek and a member of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, was arrested near Talaat Harb Square. An additional five members of the party were arrested in front of the Doctors’ Syndicate.
Prominent journalist Mohamed Abdel Qudous reported on social media that he was prevented from entering the Press Syndicate. “For 75 years, this the first time for this to happen,” Abdel Qudous said.
Amid reports of journalists being arrested, the Press Syndicate called on the Egyptian police to allow its members to do their job, saying that “preventing journalists from doing their job is a crime”.
The roads leading to the syndicate were shut down by Special Forces carrying machine guns.
Despite shutting down streets and patrolling the area, security forces did not prevent dozens of supporters of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi from roaming the streets of downtown Cairo, chanting in favor of the army and the police.
According to a Daily News Egypt reporter on the scene, Central Security Forces in plain clothes were dispersed throughout Tahrir Square starting Monday morning, as well as heavily armed Special Forces with machine guns.
The reporter said members of the Investigation Bureau are present that in front of the Doctors’ Syndicate and are randomly searching passersby.
The protests on 25 April were called for to defy the maritime demarcation agreement that transferred the sovereignty of Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia.
More updates to follow
