Egypt’s revolution turns two

Egypt's vast opposition called for a day of protests Monday, demanding that President Mohamed Morsi fulfill the goals of the revolution that brought him and his Muslim Brotherhood to power. Protesters have demanded a new unity government, amendments to Egypt's new constitution, drafted by an Islamist-led panel, and that the prosecutor general be replaced.

"The revolution continues," some banners read, as some protesters chanted: "After blood has been spilled, there is no legitimacy."

"Down with Brotherhood rule," others said, making their way to Cairo's Tahrir Square: the symbolic heart of the 2011 protests that toppled Mubarak. Other placards read "Bread, Freedom, Social Justice" or, simply, "leave" - a throwback to the Mubarak-era demonstrations but aimed this time at Morsi.

Other marchers headed to the presidential palace, where violent protests have been staged against Morsi. And earlier in the day Monday, some peopel briefly blocked a major bridge while a group wearing masks stopped trains in a central Cairo metro station, scuffling with passengers and transit police.

Still seeking change

Morsi won a narrow majority, claiming just under 52 percent of the vote, in a presidential runoff election against Ahmed Shafik in June 2012.

Activists have expressed their anger over continued rights violations by security services, including the deaths of dozens in recent months, and claim that little has changed since Mubarak. They accuse Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood of trying to monopolize power, saying the country's most popular political grouping is ignoring the demands of the secular and liberal organizations who were insturmental in toppling Mubarak.

Egypt has seen steady violence since protests began to mark the two-year anniversary of the uprising's beginning on January 25. The violence increased with riots in the Suez Canal city of Port Said when a court sentenced 21 local soccer fans to death for their roles in a riot last year that killed 74 people.

Protesters also claim that Islamists rushed the country's new constitution through the approval process despite disagreements with the opposition, who say some clauses undermine freedoms of expression, religion, and women's rights.

The contentious document was approved by a 64-percent margin in a December 2012 referendum, though less than one in three eligible Egyptians turned out to vote.

Opposition activitsts in Egypt also want a new Cabinet, accusing the government of failing to rein in police brutality or institute economic reforms. Members of April 6, a group key to the uprising, rallied outside the office of the chief prosecutor - appointed by Morsi - who they accuse of punishing protesters while turning a blind eye to police transgressions.

People also staged a Monday march in the coastal city of Alexandria, another site of deadly clashes between protesters and Morsi supporters in recent months. Local television showed demonstrators carrying pictures of some of those killed in the violence over the past two years.

mkg/msh (AFP, AP, dpa)