The fear of fierce repression is strong in Egypt as protesters once again brave the ban to protest against power, Friday, September 27.

After the first demonstrations against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on September 20, the police presence was ostensibly reinforced in all major cities of the country, particularly Tahrir Square in Cairo, epicenter of the 2011 popular revolt that drove the President Hosni Mubarak of power.

This is a series of videos posted in early September on Facebook by an Egyptian entrepreneur in exile, Mohamed Aly, who pushed hundreds of people to demonstrate a week ago with cries of "Sissi dégage", before being dispersed to shots of tear gas. In these videos shared millions of times on the internet, Mohamed Aly accused the president-elect in 2014 and the army of corruption.

"Million March"

Reacting immediately, the authorities arrested some 1,900 people, including journalists, intellectuals and political activists, according to local human rights NGOs. Arrests reported by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

After the 20 September demonstrations, Mohamed Aly welcomed the mobilization and called for a "march of the million" this Friday. In the opposite camp, demonstrations of support for President Sissi were organized this week and could take place again on Friday.

"The upcoming protests should certainly meet a firm resistance," said AFP HA Hellyer, associate member of the Royal United Services Institute. According to him, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has made it clear in the past "that he intends to stay in power" and if the demonstrations "go beyond a certain point, it would be destructive not only for his presidency, but for the country in general ".

Palace construction

In his videos, Mohamed Aly claimed that millions of Egyptian pounds of public funds were used in useless projects and presidential palaces. "Lies and slanders," Abdel Fattah Sissi replied in mid-September, saying he was building palaces not for himself but for Egypt.

In addition to allegations of corruption, the construction of palaces when the government imposes austerity measures is likely to arouse anger among many Egyptians affected by a severe economic crisis.

With AFP