Female Al-Azhar students arrested for holding demonstrations

Egyptian security forces stormed Al-Azhar University campus in the Nile Delta governorate of Dakahliya yesterday and arrested a number of female students who were protesting against the arbitrary detention of their colleagues.

In a press release, Al-Azhar Student Union said: “Security forces broke into the campus in Dakahliya, fired tear gas and arrested students.”

The statement added that “students will continue their revolutionary activities no matter what the price.”

Al-Azhar University students in Cairo and other governorates staged demonstrations in solidarity with their arrested colleagues and demanded an end to police presence in campus.

The academic term at Al-Azhar University resumed this week after a delay of more than a month following the spring break.

Police and army forces closed down Al-Tayaran Street in Cairo’s Naser City neighbourhood as Al-Azhar female students marched towards the Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square, which witnessed a massacre against opponents of the coup last August.

An Egyptian court decided to return of the so-called University Guards to “secure” campuses from “riots and protests”. However, the ruling has not yet taken effect on the ground.

Egyptian universities have witnessed daily protests by anti-coup students since the start of the academic year in September. Security forces violently dispersed these protests, leaving tens of fatalities and casualties, which incited further protests.