Police in Egypt fired water cannons on two small, secular anti-government protests in Cairo on Tuesday, dispersing the gatherings in the first known enforcement of a new law requiring all protests to secure a permit from authorities.
The government says the new law, issued Monday, is necessary to restore security amid near-daily protests by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, but others point to the law as a sign the military-backed government is becoming increasingly authoritarian. The unrest among the secular political factions that supported Morsi’s ouster in July may signal a growing backlash against the military, the Associated Press reports.
Critics of the new law say it is more draconian than restrictions on political activity during the reign of Hosni Mubarak, who was forced from power in popular protests in 2011.
[AP]