Students Against the Coup (SAC) coordinator at Cairo University Adam Mohamed has moved to distance the group from the clashes that took place outside the university on Sunday.
Mohamed said the protest had ended in front of the campus’s main domed building near the university’s main gate, and that the group was “surprised” to discover a TV news van had been set on fire.
“The protest was inside the university and after it ended we realised that unknown assailants set fire to a van of a satellite channel and tear gas was already being fired,” said Mohamed.
Spokesman of the Ministry of Interior General Hany Abdel Latif said that minor clashes took place and that no arrests were made at the time of writing.
Daily News Egypt was denied access inside Cairo University despite having the required paperwork.
At Ain Shams University hundreds of SAC members protested on the main campus, with flags of the group, Rabaa signs, and fireworks being used. The demonstrating students announced their intention to move to the campus of the Alson (Linguistics) Faculty across the street from the main campus to show solidarity with their fellow students who were being investigated by the university administration.
The administrative security then closed the gates of the main campus, blocking the students from leaving. After several failed attempts at opening the gates by force, the SAC ended their protest after announcing that the students’ investigation was postponed.
A statement was issued by SAC on Monday night calling for protests in every university in Egypt.
The group mentioned details for student protests at seven universities, keeping the rest unannounced. The main protests were slated to start at midday from the universities of Cairo and Ain Shams.
The statement said the main aim of the demonstrations would be to denounce the return of university guards and allowing police inside campuses. As for the secondary reason for the protests, the group said it was against what they called “the military coup” led by the “fascist military regime”.
An independent group called Faculty of Engineering- Cairo University (FECU) Revolutionaries organised a human chain on Sunday denouncing the return of interior ministry security guards, which was granted after an order issued by the Urgent Matters Court on February.
The second term resumed on Saturday in all universities and schools except for Al-Azhar University which will resume on 15 March.