Cairo braces for a day of protests and marches

Cairo's squares and streets are filled with anticipation as people are getting ready for a day of protests on Sunday to demand President Mohamed Morsi's departure. 

Only one year at the helm of the state, Morsi's performance has fueled rising dissatisfaction among an opposition, which says that the president has been more invested in strengthening his organization, the Muslim Brotherhood's grip over the state. 

In Heliopolis, where the Ettehadiya Presidential Palace sits, protesters started flocking, while tents have already been set up, in anticipation of a sit-in at the end of the day. Several marches are planned throughout the city from different spots and are due to arrive to the presidential palace in the afternoon. 

In Tahrir, the birthplace of the January 25 revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, protesters have been gathering since mid-week, also in anticipation of June 30. On Sunday, some tents were set and protesters also started arriving. 

But the day of protests is not limited to Morsi and the Brotherhood opposition. Islamist groups and parties are also planning counter-protests, with a major spot around the Rabea al-Adaweya mosque in Nasr City, where an open-ended sit-in has started on Saturday. On Sunday, the state-run Middle East News Agency reported that protesters closed off all streets leading to the mosque area of fear of infiltration.