Egyptian riot police cordoned off the headquarters of the journalists' union and limited access to the building today in an escalating standoff following a raid on the premises and the arrest of two journalists.
Hundreds of journalists rallied on the steps outside the union headquarters, chanting "Journalism is not a crime!" and demanding the dismissal of the country's Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar.
The protests are the latest in a series of demonstrations against the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, which has banned virtually all protests and carried out a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent.
Police severely restricted access, banning non-union members from entry, as well as some residents and people who came on work errands to the surrounding area. Foreign journalists were allowed entry only after approval by several levels of officers, up to the rank of general.
At one point, several dozen journalists pushed through a barrier and entered the area, causing a brief moment of chaos. Several held up their union cards, saying that the police would not let them enter despite the membership. The union is now holding a general assembly.
"There are thugs here threatening us, and the police don't want us to enter for the meeting because they know we'll condemn the Interior Ministry," said journalist Ahmed Bakr, who was allowed into the building's street eventually.
Several dozen counterdemonstrators and el-Sissi supporters showed up at either end of the blocked-off street, blasting patriotic songs, chanting "long live Egypt" and insulting union members, who responded by calling the police "thugs."
Former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, whose own party offices were surrounded by police last month, called for the dismissal of the interior minister and an apology from the state.
"Those who made this mistake should be held accountable," he said from the syndicate's steps. "We are here to keep the dignity of our union, and show support and unity against what happened."
Since the ouster of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, the government of army chief-turned-president el-Sissi has clamped down on political demonstrations, mainly by Islamist opponents demanding Morsi's return.
Hundreds of protesters have been killed and thousands detained over the past three years, and a draconian anti-protest law has virtually banned all street demonstrations without prior police permission.
Today, the privately owned al-Maqaal daily carried a cartoon depicting riot police beating up a young man holding up a newspaper as a shield.
