Cairo: Demonstrations Mount as Police Teargas Egyptian Youth

As the sixth days of protests continued in Cairo's Tahrir Square, police fired teargas at young protestors nearby. (Photo by Mohamed Abd El Ghany / Reuters)

Cairo: Demonstrations Mount as Police Teargas Egyptian Youth

Crisis continues as Egypt's high courts cease in protest

As demonstrations in Cairo continue into their sixth day, police fired teargas throughout the night at young protesters while thousands demanded President Mohamed Mursi rescind his dictatorial decree.

In a scene reminiscent of the uprisings against Hosni Mubarek just last year, hundreds of thousands of protestors poured into Cairo's Tahrir Square on Tuesday chanting the central theme of the Arab Spring revolts: "The people want to bring down the regime," and "erhal, erhal" -- Arabic for "leave, leave," Reuterssays.

As the crowds swelled, Haaretz reports, skirmishes between police and several hundred young protesters erupted on a street off Tahrir Square leading to the U.S. Embassy. They continue:

Police fired tear gas at stone-throwing youths in streets near the main protest in Tahrir Square, heart of the uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak last year. Clashes between Morsi's opponents and supporters erupted in a city north of Cairo.

Before the crowd, protest organizers called for another mass rally on Friday. According to Haaretz, "If the Brotherhood responds with mass rallies of its own, as some of its leaders have hinted, it would raise the prospect of greater violence."

Protestors said they will stay in the square until the decree is withdrawn.

Meanwhile, Egypt's Cessation and Appeals courts announced Wednesday that they would suspend their work until the constitutional court rules on the decree.

Senior judges have been negotiating with Mursi about how to restrict his new powers, saysReuters.

Supreme Constitutional Court spokesman, Maher Samy, said on Wednesday that the courts felt threatened by Mursi's dominance.

Reutersreports that "both Islamists and their opponents broadly agree that the judiciary needs reform, but Mursi's rivals oppose his methods."

_______________________

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.