CAIRO – Thousands of Egyptians demonstrated in key cities across the country, including Cairo, Alexandria and Suez, challenging President Mohamed Morsi less than two months into his rule with a first test of his popularity on the street. The protests were called by opposition politician Muhammad Abu Hamid, founder of the Hayat Al-Misriyeen (Egyptians' Lives) party, television show host Tawfiq Okasha, owner of Al-Fara'een Channel and other liberal opponents of Morsi. Okasha, whose station has been banned from broadcasting, faces trial next month on charges of trying to incite Morsi's murder. Egyptians had been nervous that the protest, flagged for several weeks, could turn violent and security was tight around the presidential palace and some other sites. In Cairo's Tahrir Square, where hundreds of thousands rallied to overthrow former president Hosni Mubarak early last year, several dozen people briefly clashed with Morsi's supporters before withdrawing. Rival groups of youths hurled stones and bottles at each other, staging running battles in side streets. Four people were injured in the clash, the MENA news agency reported. In northern Cairo, about 200 protesters gathered near the presidency, chanting “down with the Supreme Guide's rule.” They were referring to the leader of the influential Muslim Brotherhood, to which Morsi belongs. Abu Hamid, a member of the National Assembly, arrived in an SUV and spoke to the demonstrators in Al-Abbasiyah over a megaphone before speeding off after he was told the protesters were being attacked. A mix of ardent secularists and activists nostalgic for Mubarak's rule took part in the demonstrations. Supporters of political figures such as Hamdeen Sabahi, a presidential candidate, were there in big numbers. Several liberal groups usually critical of Brotherhood stayed away, including the April 6 youth movement that galvanized protests to oust Mubarak last year. The protesters demanded Morsi repeal an interim constitution in which he took over the military's powers. They also want an investigation into the funding of the Brotherhood, which has dominated the political scene since Mubarak's ouster. — With input from agencies
