Students march against security forces’ crackdown

Hundreds of university students — primarily supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi — led protests and marches on Wednesday to denounce the heavy-handed security measures which have recently led to the death of one student and the arrests of tens of others.

Engineering students from Al-Azhar and Cairo Universities marched from their campuses today onto the streets of eastern Cairo’s Nasr City district and Giza. Police forces reported that they blocked several streets and obstructed traffic during the course of the marches.

Meanwhile, in Alexandria University, students locked the gates to the Faculty of Engineering with chains — in protest against the arrest of students and deployment of security forces at university campuses.

Also on Wednesday, Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawy and his Cabinet convened a meeting with representatives of the Supreme Council of Egyptian Universities. According to the state-run Middle East News Agency, they agreed that student protests must abide by university regulations.

The Cabinet and university representatives also emphasized that they would not tolerate any attempts to derail the academic process through such protests. It was suggested that students who violate university regulations should be suspended or expelled.

Student protesters denounced what they described as the university authorities’ collaboration with security forces, along with the police’s use of violence and intimidation both in and around university campuses.

On November 28, 19-year-old engineering student Mohamed Reda was shot dead during protests on the campus of Cairo University by riot police deployed to contain on-campus protests. Several students were arrested and detained during these clashes.

Student unions, in particular that of Cairo University’s Faculty of Engineering, have blamed police for the death of Reda. The Ministry of Interior has denied responsibility for the student’s death, while the prosecutor general has claimed that it was student protesters who shot Reda during their clashes with police.

Reda’s death, and the authorities’ subsequent accusations against student protesters, led to further clashes with the police in Tahrir Square on December 1. Police tear-gassed and beat student protesters who have been described as being members of the pro-Morsi National Alliance to Support Legitimacy.