CAIRO: Egypt's Republican Guard protecting the entrance to the street leading to the Presidential Palace have begun erecting numerous new barriers on Tuesday early afternoon in an effort to prevent protesters from reaching the palace after a week of protests in the area. According to local media, the Republican Guard is putting barbed wire fences, iron barriers and even concrete walls up around the palace in preparation for what is expected to be massive demonstrations on Tuesday. Only local residents of the area are being permitted to pass through. Making matters worse, Morsi announced that the military would begin to roll out onto the streets, “to protect state institution," but that fear has left many questioning if the president is going to use the armed forces as a barrier to push through a controversial draft constitution. “We disagree and people protest. Is that not part of democracy?" asked Yussif Hamdy, 32, a shopkeeper on Qasr el-Aini street. He told Bikyamasr.com that if the two sides would not resort to violence, “the military would not be coming into the street. We don't want the military because we know what they want to do and that is not good for the people." The move is likely to heighten an already tense situation, which saw the opposition National Salvation Front (NSF) on Sunday say no to the referendum and call for a potential boycott and widespread protests to ensure the country does not head toward the ultra-conservative direction Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood want. The leaders, led by Mohamed ElBaradei rejected the move and called for protests on Tuesday. Making matters even more tense and worrisome, Islamist groups also said they would hold counter demonstrations, which could lead to further bloody clashes.
