Egyptian army storms Al-Azhar University, injuring many

Egyptian security forces have raided Al-Azhar University in Cairo again today, Monday, injuring dozens of students. Meanwhile, the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy called for a million-man march tomorrow, Tuesday, in support of the student protests.

The students said that security forces used firearms to disperse students who were protesting against the attacks that took place against them the day before. For its part, the Interior Ministry said its forces entered the university and arrested a number of “troublemakers.”

The security forces stormed the university campus after a group of students tried to demonstrate outside the university. The Egyptian television said that the university headmaster summoned security forces to control the situation inside.

Ahmed Al-Muhammadi, a student at the university, said to Aljazeera that the security forces used firearms, tear gas and noise bombs during confrontations with students. Students spoke of the injury of almost one hundred of their colleagues from firearms and gas asphyxiation, whilst activists said that warplanes flew at low altitude over the university. The security forces had stormed Al-Azhar University last night and attacked the students who were demonstrating to denounce the coup and demand the release of their colleagues who were arrested in earlier protests.

Demonstrations at the University of Al-Azhar are part of a number of student protests that have taken place in most Egyptian governorates to condemn the coup and what they consider to be practices and laws that restrict freedoms, including a law regulating demonstrations.

The University Student Union of Al-Azhar condemned what they described as attacks by security forces on university students. Media spokesman, Abdullah Mahi, said the demonstrations took place from all branches of Al-Azhar University in response to the attacks, and despite being peaceful, were bombarded with tear gas.

In response to security forces storming Al-Azhar University, students from the university have organised a march towards Rabaa Square amid tight security.

Continuous protests

Amid the ongoing protests, which escalated after the death of a student from the Faculty of Engineering in Cairo, Mohammad Reza, about two weeks ago the students movement against the coup organised a march today in Nasr City, Cairo, during which they denounced the military rule.

In the area of Wardian, west of Alexandria, a similar demonstration called for by the student front, raised slogans against the current authority.

Students also organised a demonstration in the western province, in which they denounced the practices of the security forces against their colleagues in universities, chanting slogans against the coup. Furthermore, demonstrations have recently taken place at universities in Beni Suef, Assiut and Mansoura in which students denounced what they deemed repressive security practices.

In addition, a march took place last night in the city of Suez which demanded retaliation for protesters who have been killed since the start of the military coup that overthrew elected President Mohamed Morsi on the third of July.

In Cairo yesterday, Sunday, dozens of police took part in a protest to demand higher wages in an unusual challenge to the new law on demonstrations, which was applied to limit the demonstrations on the streets.