QENA - Thousands of protesters in the Upper Egyptian Governorate of Qena insisted on their newly appointed governor being sacked, pledging a new million-man protest next Friday, while protests also flared against two other governors flared in other governorates. The demonstrators in Qena, who have been protesting for ten consecutive days, called on more local people to join them, in their opposition to a bid by Egypt's Cabinet to repress their 'legal' demand. "We have one major demand: sack Emad Mikhail, the new Governor," said one protester outside Qena Governorate headquarters. Mikhail is one of two Christian governors appointed by the military generals who now rule Egypt, while the protests in Qena were followed by others in the coastal governorate of Alexandria and el-Daqahlia, in the Nile Delta. The Qena protesters raised banners reading: 'Muslims and Christians are one hand'. "We are not protesting at the religion of the new Governor. Some people are trying to twist the purpose of our protest. What we are against is a former policeman guilty of brutality ruling us," said Mohamed Khalil, a Muslim cleric who has been helping to organise the Qena protests. He added that protesters would continue to block the railway tracks until Mikhail gets the sack. "The Premier's approach to the crisis in Qena has been unexpected," said Khalil. Police brutality was one of the factors that ignited the mass protests that led to Mubarak's resignation in February. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has announced that he will visit Qena soon to try and end the protests, while the protesters say he's welcome but he should bring with him a decision to dismiss Mikhail. Sharaf, who is in fact expected there today, instructed Interior Minister Mansour el-Essawi to end the protest so dialogue can start. But angry protesters have threatened to file a report with the Prosecutor-General against the Prime Minister. Khalil warned that next Friday's protests would be bigger, if their demands were not met. In Alexandria, some 200 protesters asked for their newly appointed Governor, Essam Salem, a professor of engineering, to be replaced, slamming him as a 'corrupt'. Daqahlia residents followed suit, urging the ex-Police General appointed to rule them to resign. Islamists in Qena, which has a large Christian population, had initially called for a Muslim governor in their protests. But the demonstrations have since widened to include Christians, who say they don't object to Mikhail's religion but to the fact that he worked closely with former Minister of Interior Habib el-Adli. The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces appointed 20 new governors on April 15 across Egypt to replace those who served under former president Mubarak. Qena, which witnessed unprecedented sectarian tensions under ex-governor Magdi Ayoub, has the largest and oldest Coptic communities and churches in the country. It is also rife with the tribal affiliations, while religious movements like the Salafists and the Muslim Brotherhood have a strong presence there.
