EGYPTIAN SCHOOL STUDENTS PROTEST ‘HARASSMENT’ OF GIRLS BY SECURITY FORCES

       Cairo, 1 Rabbi’ul Awwal 1435/2 January 2014 (MINA) – Female school students in the Egyptian canal city of Suez on Thursday staged an early morning rally to protest what they described as “harassment” by security forces.

      Protesters waved banners demanding a halt to the “harassment” of girls by Egyptian security personnel, Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

      Some waved pictures of female Al-Azhar University students said to have been recently detained by police.

     The girl protesters also distributed flyers calling for a boycott of a mid-January referendum on a revised version of Egypt’s 2012 constitution, which was suspended by the military this summer following the ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi.

     Since Egypt’s academic year began in September, several universities have been rocked by demonstrations opposing Morsi’s July 3 ouster by the military.

      Al-Azhar University – a traditional stronghold of Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated students – has seen the most violent protests, with daily rallies often escalating into clashes between students and police.

     Two people died in clashes between Egyptian police and student supporters of ousted Morsi protesting against the new military-installed authorities.

     The pro-Morsi coalition spearheading the Islamist protest movement, which has called for nationwide strike action, confirmed two demonstrators were killed on Wednesday.

      One of them was shot in the head, security officials said.

      Pro-Morsi students have staged defiant demonstrations at universities across Egypt, and earlier yesterday the pro-Morsi Anti-Coup Alliance called for more protests.

     Police seized an underground press in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria for allegedly printing leaflets against the security forces, security officials said. Two people were arrested. (T/P09/E1).

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).