Riot police stormed into university campuses across Egypt Sunday, as students hold protests in the second week of the new academic year. Protests are taking place condemning the arrest and suspension of fellow students, according to Students Against the Coup (SAC) spokesperson Youssef Saleheen. At Cairo, Al-Azhar, Minya, and Ain Shams Universities, Central Security Forces (CSF) broke into the campuses to disperse student protests, said Saleheen. Police force surrounded and patrolled around Al-Azhar University looking for SAC members, the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) reported. CSF chased students inside campus with armoured personnel carriers, SAC said. The group added that a similar incident took place at Alexandria University, where police officers took video footage of protesters which they used to arrest students outside campus. Students blocked the Kasr Al-Nil Road in front of Cairo University clashing with security forces. Saleheen added that Special Forces from the army with armoured vehicles were standing guard outside campus, in anticipation of protests. At Mansoura University, students burnt a security gate and a motorbike owned by private company Falcon. SAC group issued a statement on Sunday morning claiming that a new wave of protests took place at the universities of Suez, Beni-Suef , Al-Fayoum, and Helwan. No official count of arrests and injuries has been released so for. The students, the group added, will continue protesting the presence of security forces, including private security firm Falcon, on and around campuses. The group said that the oppression of students will result in an "uprising", where they expect more confrontation with police and Falcon security firm. Last week the group held a number of protests clashing with riot police and Falcon personnel. Police fired tear gas to disperse student protests at Alexandria University and raided buildings resulting in 28 injuries and at least 30 arrests, according to the SAC. One student suffered a head injury after being hit by rubber birdshot, which police used to disperse protests. Up to 250 students from the University were attempting to destroy the campus gates, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at security personnel, said the Ministry of Interior. The Ministry added that police arrested 37 students as a result. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Association of Freedom of Thought and Expression demanded the Egyptian authorities release arrested university students. Since the start of the academic year on 11 October at least 163 students have been arrested, according to Democracy Index.
