CAIRO
Egyptian security forces used teargas to disperse Friday rallies staged in several parts of the country by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
Protesters hit the streets despite adverse weather conditions and heavy rainfall that swept across the northern part of the country.
Police forces teargased one pro-democracy march in Nasr City in eastern Cairo. Protesters had been marching towards Al-Azhar University's dormitory to show support for the university's students, whose campus was stormed by security forces last week during pro-democracy demonstrations.
Several protesters suffered gas inhalation after clashes erupted between security forces and stone-throwing demonstrators.
Pro-Morsi demonstrations were also dispersed by security forces in the Cairo districts of Shubra al-Kheima, Helwan and Maadi.
Similar scenes played out in several areas of the Giza province, where security forces clashed with pro-democracy protesters.
In the canal province of Suez, meanwhile, three people were injured in skirmishes between security forces and protesters, while scores of the latter suffered gas inhalation in the central Fayoum province following the copious use of teargas by security forces.
In the canal city of Port Said, at least eight protesters were arrested after security forces broke up a pro-democracy rally.
In Upper Egypt's Minya, meanwhile, scores of demonstrators were arrested following clashes between protesters and security forces, eyewitnesses said.
And in the coastal city of Alexandria, unidentified individuals hurled stones at pro-Morsi demonstrators who had staged a protest march.
Friday's rallies were called by the National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy, Morsi's main support bloc, to show solidarity with student protesters.
In recent weeks, several Egyptian universities have been rocked by student protests amid clashes between security forces and student demonstrators opposed to Morsi's overthrow.
For the last 169 days, pro-democracy demonstrators have staged rallies on an almost daily basis to denounce what they describe as the July 3 "military coup" that unseated Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
