This archive report was first published on 21 September 2019.
On Friday, September 20, 2019, rare protests broke out in Cairo and other Egyptian cities, calling for the removal of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The protests, which were quickly dispersed by police, marked a rare instance of public dissent in Egypt, where protests have been effectively banned under a law passed following the 2013 military ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi.
According to AFP journalists, dozens of people joined night-time demonstrations around Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the 2011 revolution that toppled the country's long-time autocratic leader. The protests were met with a heavy security presence, including riot police and plainclothes police officers, who rounded up protesters and arrested at least five.
Journalists witnessed police firing tear gas at demonstrators around the square. The protests come on the back of Mohamed Ali, a disgruntled exiled Egyptian businessman, who has been posting viral videos from Spain since the beginning of September accusing Sisi and the military of rampant corruption.
President Sisi flatly denied the allegations last week at a youth conference, assuring Egyptians that he was 'honest and faithful' to his people and the military. Despite the denial, Ali urged Egyptians to head to the streets after a highly anticipated football match between Cairo powerhouses Al Ahly and Zamalek in the Super Cup.
