Police troops surrounded Cairo University today, as hundreds of students demonstrated against the rising education fees.
After distributing leaflets and engaging with fellow students in discussions over the state of economy and education in Egypt, the Socialist-led Haqqi (My Right) mobilized hundreds in a march.
Protesters denounced Mubarak, his son Gamal, the Education Minister and the entire cabinet. The students marched from one faculty campus to the other, calling on their colleagues to join, while the chants continued.
The Muslim Brotherhood students were not seen anywhere, but all over the trees they had hung banners encouraging students to pray, part of their recently launched morality crusade on university campuses.
Members of the govt-appointed Student Union were as always present, and tried to disrupt the march, by waving the Egyptian flag, playing on drums, and chanting football slogans. No scuffles took place though.
High ranking police officers showed up and were following the protesters. They didn’t go for the organizers, but were trying to disperse “ordinary students” and separate them from the “activists.”
The Haqqi students were quite militant, directing their march sometimes to surround those officers and denounce them in their faces, and shouting they would not be intimidated.
The march last for over an hour, and ended in an assembly by the university gate, where Haqqi announced they were launching “Don’t Pay!” campaign.