CAIRO: A protest planned by the Kefaya movement for change on Wednesday night was thwarted by heavy police presence and the arrest of one of its organizers. At a June 3 press conference, Kefaya announced that it was boycotting President Barack Obama's speech at Cairo University and was planning a rally in Tahrir Square later that night. The protest was scheduled to begin at 8 pm. Kefaya cited the strong US relationship with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and the administration's support of Israel, among other reasons, for its opposition to Obama's visit. In interviews with Daily News Egypt, Kefaya leaders Abdel Halim Qandil and Yahya El-Gazzaz said that they were stopped along with five other organizers by a strong police presence on their way to Tahrir Square. According to El-Gazzaz, the organizers were stopped in Talaat Harb Square by plain-clothed police officers. The officers said that no one was allowed to proceed from Talaat Harb to Tahrir. El-Gazzaz says that upon arguing with the officers, he was surrounded by eight plain-clothed policemen, who physically assaulted him and placed him under arrest. He was detained in a police truck for four and a half hours before being released. According to Qandil, the protesters did not attempt to make it to the scheduled location in Tahrir Square after the arrest. During the scheduled hours of the protest, security forces maintained a heavy police presence in Tahrir Square. Officers were posted on the sidewalks, and a small group patrolled the garden in the middle of the square. Police vehicles were posted around Tahrir and adjacent streets. Security advised people in front of the Mugamma building not to sit down on the park benches. After the arrest of El-Qazzaz, approximately 70 Kefaya members walked to the Journalist's Syndicate's downtown headquarters, according to Qandil. They waited for news of El-Qazzaz, and dispersed at 10 pm. Qandil added that Kefaya did not attempt any protests the day of Obama's address because of tightened security in Cairo.
