Nehal El-Sherif and Essam al-Fadl
Earth Times
Cairo - For the past two years, a group calling itself the April 6 Movement has tried to organize a national strike to protest against government policies and poor economic conditions, so far with mixed success.
On Tuesday, April 6, this year, protesters plan to march from central Cairo's Tahrir Square to the parliament to call for an end to emergency rule - in place since 1981, - constitutional reform, and a variety of other demands.
But they face a number of hurdles. They will have to compete with students and administrators at Cairo's Ain Shams University, who plan a "counterstrike" to highlight the country's positive achievements.
And when organizers asked Cairo police for permission for the march, which would follow close on the heel's of Saturday's protests asking for a minimum wage of 1,200 Egyptian pounds (215 dollars) a month, they were denied.
"The current security status" does not allow staging protests that might "disturb public security in the capital," the head of Cairo security told organizers.
Activists will "bear full responsibility" for any protests they stage after receiving notice that permission for the protest had been denied.
"We insist on organizing this march because this is our legal and constitutional right," Ahmed Maher, the founder of the April 6 Movement, told the German Press Agency dpa.
"We followed the rules that require us to notify the security bodies of the date and place of the march, but they cannot refuse it," he said.
The competition, Ain Shams University's "counterstrikers," are marking the end of the university's year-long campaign "For a Better Egypt." Their demonstration will feature a concert by an Egyptian pop singer.
Atef al-Awam, vice-president of the university for student affairs, said the event aims to provide "positive example to the youth instead of the negative calls for strikes," in remarks quoted by al-Masry al-Youm newspaper Sunday.
The April 6 Movement began with an online campaign in 2008. After the activists found strong support on the social-networking website Facebook that year, the Egyptian Interior Ministry reacted with alarm.
The ministry warned Egyptians both to show up for work and to stay at home because of anticipated clashes between protesters and police, who turned out in force across the city. Many schools asked students to stay at home for fear of unrest.
On the day of the protest the streets of Cairo were unusually quiet, though it was unclear whether people were staying at home out of sympathy for the strike, fear of the police, or because of the sandstorm that blanketed the city that day in grit and heat.
Organizers called the strike a success, and planned another for the following April 6.
But that call went largely unheeded. On April 6, 2009, it was business as usual on the streets of Cairo.
Maher blamed last year's failure on police interference.
"Last year, so many activists from the movement were arrested a day or two before the protest, but this year we will try to make it happen," he told dpa.
Earth Times
Cairo - For the past two years, a group calling itself the April 6 Movement has tried to organize a national strike to protest against government policies and poor economic conditions, so far with mixed success.
On Tuesday, April 6, this year, protesters plan to march from central Cairo's Tahrir Square to the parliament to call for an end to emergency rule - in place since 1981, - constitutional reform, and a variety of other demands.
But they face a number of hurdles. They will have to compete with students and administrators at Cairo's Ain Shams University, who plan a "counterstrike" to highlight the country's positive achievements.
And when organizers asked Cairo police for permission for the march, which would follow close on the heel's of Saturday's protests asking for a minimum wage of 1,200 Egyptian pounds (215 dollars) a month, they were denied.
"The current security status" does not allow staging protests that might "disturb public security in the capital," the head of Cairo security told organizers.
Activists will "bear full responsibility" for any protests they stage after receiving notice that permission for the protest had been denied.
"We insist on organizing this march because this is our legal and constitutional right," Ahmed Maher, the founder of the April 6 Movement, told the German Press Agency dpa.
"We followed the rules that require us to notify the security bodies of the date and place of the march, but they cannot refuse it," he said.
The competition, Ain Shams University's "counterstrikers," are marking the end of the university's year-long campaign "For a Better Egypt." Their demonstration will feature a concert by an Egyptian pop singer.
Atef al-Awam, vice-president of the university for student affairs, said the event aims to provide "positive example to the youth instead of the negative calls for strikes," in remarks quoted by al-Masry al-Youm newspaper Sunday.
The April 6 Movement began with an online campaign in 2008. After the activists found strong support on the social-networking website Facebook that year, the Egyptian Interior Ministry reacted with alarm.
The ministry warned Egyptians both to show up for work and to stay at home because of anticipated clashes between protesters and police, who turned out in force across the city. Many schools asked students to stay at home for fear of unrest.
On the day of the protest the streets of Cairo were unusually quiet, though it was unclear whether people were staying at home out of sympathy for the strike, fear of the police, or because of the sandstorm that blanketed the city that day in grit and heat.
Organizers called the strike a success, and planned another for the following April 6.
But that call went largely unheeded. On April 6, 2009, it was business as usual on the streets of Cairo.
Maher blamed last year's failure on police interference.
"Last year, so many activists from the movement were arrested a day or two before the protest, but this year we will try to make it happen," he told dpa.
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