Wake up America! It’s amazing that the people of Egypt are smarter than we are in America today.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters went on to the streets of Cairo as part of mass demonstrations across Egypt exactly a year since President Mohamed Morsi came to power.
Some 200,000 people descended on Tahrir Square, the heart of the 2011 uprising against Mr Morsi’s predecessor Hosni Mubarak, while others were outside the presidential palace several miles away, which was under heavy guard.
Police and troops have deployed to protect key buildings around the country, security officials said. The health ministry said hospitals have been placed on high alert.
Andrew Pochter. Andrew Pochter was killed in Alexandria
A senior security official said the Suez Canal, the vital waterway that connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea, has been placed under “maximum security”.
Liberal leaders say nearly half the voting population – 22 million people – have signed a petition calling for change. Mr Morsi’s opponents have promised a “second revolution”.
But the president’s Muslim Brotherhood and militant allies pledge to defend what they say is the legitimate order.
Several people have been killed and hundreds wounded in days of street fighting across the country.
An American student who was killed during violent clashes in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria on Friday was identified as Andrew Pochter, 21, from Maryland.
Mr Morsi has called his opponents bad losers backed by “thugs” from the rule of deposed Hosni Mubarak.
He is banking on the “Tamarud – Rebel!” coalition fizzling out, as other challenges in the streets have done since he took power.
US President Barack Obama called on Egyptians to focus on dialogue. His ambassador to Egypt has angered the opposition by suggesting protests are not helping the economy.
Liberal leaders, fractious and defeated in a series of ballots last year, hope that by putting millions on the streets they can force Mr Morsi to relent.
EGYPT-POLITICS-UNREST Recent days have seen intense street fighting
Religious authorities have warned of “civil war”.
The army has said it will step in if violence gets out of control but insists it will respect the “will of the people”.
Mr Morsi, who on Saturday met the head of the military he appointed last year, interprets that to mean army support for election results.
