DSE: Activists fail to reach parliament for planned demonstration

Activists fail to reach parliament for planned demonstration

Police employ zero-tolerance policy

By Liam Stack and Maram Mazen
First Published: March 20, 2007

CAIRO: Opposition groups, including the Kefaya Movement for Change, called for a demonstration on Tuesday outside the People’s Assembly to support opposition MPs who staged a walk-out in protest of the passed constitutional amendments.

In response, security police festooned downtown’s busy Kasr El-Aini Street and blocked off several streets to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Demonstrators and a number of journalists were not allowed to approach the People’s Assembly and were chased from the scene in small groups. Police employed a zero-tolerance policy against individuals such as blogger Wael Abbas and human rights lawyer and anti-torture activist Raba’a Fahmy, alerting each other via walkie-talkie to their presence.

Police also detained several would-be protestors in Tahrir Square, including bloggers Mohamed Gamal, Mina Gerges and Malek Mustafa, as well as Mohamed Abdel Qodous and Essam Fadl, both journalists and political activists.

At press time, both Fadl and Mustafa were released after brief detentions.