Egypt

Thousands march in Port Said against protest killings

Workers at the Port Said arsenal, which is run by the Suez Canal Authority, have joined a civil disobedience campaign that started Sunday to protest the deaths of demonstrators last month.

Violence erupted in the city on 26 January after 21 local youths were sentenced to death in the Port Said football violence trial.

Arsenal workers protested outside the facility early Monday to demand investigations into last month's clashes. Nearly 23 factories, employing 27,000 workers, have also shuttered, following the lead of schools and government offices.

The strikes come after thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Port Said Sunday night demanding justice for those killed and wounded during last month's protests, as well as Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim's dismissal. Protesters said that the civil disobedience campaign would continue until their demands were met.

The march from Shohada Square through 23 July, Gomhurriya and Saad Zaghloul streets included family members of those killed, injured or imprisoned, in addition to Al-Masry Club ultras.

Protesters also demanded the dismissal of the head of Port Said Security Directorate and that an independent judge investigate the deaths and injuries of protesters last month. They also want the victims of the clashes to be granted a martyrs' status equal to that of those killed during the 25 January revolution.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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