As group protests escalate, Al-Sisi can expect a hot start to September

A hot start to September awaits Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, with group protests including a sit-in by police officers, a mass rally by civil servants and a similar rally by members of the Coptic Christian community in one of Cairo’s Cathedrals.

Observers say that such demonstrations, just a year after Al-Sisi assumed the presidency, remind Egyptians of the atmosphere that prevailed prior to the eruption of the January 2011 revolution which brought down President Hosni Mubarak. They thus mark the end of the honeymoon period between the regime and many of those who supported Al-Sisi’s coup because they have not seen any improvement in their living conditions, despite earlier high expectations.

It is worth noting that the protests will involve coup supporters, and not opponents, which has been the case over the past two years.

The civil service protest is organised by tax office workers, who will go on strike on Monday in a bid to pressure the government to repeal the civil service law. They also announced that they will be organising a “one million man rally” on 12 September in one of Cairo’s major public parks to demand its annulment.

There has been increased opposition to the civil service law, which was issued by Al-Sisi in March and enacted last month. It angered public sector employees who organised a huge rally in the centre of Cairo in early August in protest against the legislation.

In response, the government has refused to entertain any demands for amendments or the postponement of its implementation. Al-Sisi even went a step further by announcing at an armed forces’ educational seminar that the law would remain and that civil servants should not object to it or even discuss it. Political parties and civil society groups, including trade unions, have asked the government to postpone implementation of the law until a new parliament is elected so that there might be an opportunity for it to be re-written after hearing from civil service representatives. According to trade  and labour unions, there are elements within the law which are “unconstitutional”.

Al-Sisi is also facing a strong challenge from the police. Officers organised a huge rally last week opposite Al-Sharqiyah Police HQ to demand an improvement in their work conditions and ask for a pay rise. The rally descended into violence as officers clashed with their colleagues. Protest leaders then decided to postpone the proposed sit-in until 5 September and go on strike if the government does not fulfil its pledges.

The police protest is making it very difficult for the regime. If it meets police demands it will look weak. If, however, it rejects police demands it will lose one of its staunchest institutional allies.

According to Walid Al-Muhammadi, the spokesman for Al-Shariqiyah Police, the rally will be dispersed after receiving assurances from Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab that their demands will be met and implemented before 5 September. Nevertheless, Al-Muhammadi threatened that the protest will resume should the government fail to fulfil its pledges. If this happens, said the head of the General Union of Police Officers, Mansour Abu Jabal, there will be a nationwide strike.

The third group protest scheduled for September will be a demonstration by Copt activists on the 9th in a Coptic cathedral in Al-Abbasiyah, where the Copts’ Papal office is located. “The church’s people are angry” will be the slogan of the rally.

The protestors are calling for amendments to the personal affairs code that is applied to the Copts, whereby they are forbidden to divorce and remarry. They are also calling for a review of the unwholesome conditions in some churches across the country as well as tighter control over church revenues and donations.

This will be the first time for a demonstration to be organised inside a cathedral. It will take place just two months after Pope Tawadros II was interrupted and booed while giving his weekly sermon. This prompted the security forces to enter the Papal quarters and arrest a number of the congregation who were subsequently released.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.