CAIRO (AA) – Egyptian students on Tuesday staged protests against Sunday's killing of scores of supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi and the July 3 military coup that removed Egypt's first freely elected leader.
At least 54 pro-Morsi demonstrators were killed by security forces on Sunday, which also marked the 40th anniversary of Egypt's October 6 military victory against Israel.
Cairo University students organized rallies and human chains to protest the killings and demand the release of detained classmates.
Waving posters portraying detained colleagues, student protesters chanted slogans against the army and police.
At Alexandria University, a group calling itself "Students against the Coup" staged a rally to denounce Morsi's ouster and the arrest of "anti-coup" student activists.
Protesters waved posters bearing the image of Asmaa al-Beltagi, the daughter of Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed al-Beltagi, who was killed during the violent dispersal of two pro-Morsi sit-ins in mid-August.
Brief skirmishes were reported on the university campus between pro- and anti-Morsi students.
Other marches were staged by female university students in Alexandria's Raml and Maamoura districts to demand the release of detained classmates.
Students at Suez Canal University also organized human chains to protest the killing of two students during Sunday's demonstrations.
At Zagaziq University in the Nile Delta province of Sharqiya, meanwhile, scores of teachers staged a silent rally to protest the detention of colleagues.
Egypt has remained in a state of turmoil since the powerful military establishment ousted Morsi on July 3 after massive and well-coordinated demonstrations against his presidency.
The unconstitutional change of government is described by the ousted president's backers as a military coup, while supporters of the move call it a military-backed "popular uprising."
by Ahmed Selim – Anadolu Agency
englishnews@aa.com.tr
