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ISTANBUL:
Demonstrations are taking place around the world in a show
of unity with protesters fighting for political change in
Egypt.
In Turkey between 200 and 400 protesters held a
demonstration outside the Fatih Mosque in central Istanbul
after Friday prayers to lend their voices to the Egyptian
cause.
Anita McNaught, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Turkey, said
the mosque had become a focal point for activism since
Israeli commandos raided a Turkish ship headed to Gaza last
year.
“It is very much the organisations that we saw rise to
prominence following the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara
that have taken on the streets today to lend their voices in
solidarity with the Egyptians,” she said.
A simultaneous rally of about 50 people was also held in
Ankara, the Turkish capital, where up to 50 people gathered
outside the Egyptian embassy.
In London, Britain’s capital, around 50 protesters are
gathering outside the Egyptian embassy to add their voices
to those calling for Hosni Mubarak, the president, and his
government, to step down.
Abdullah Ali, a 26-year-old demonstrator at the rally in
London, told Al Jazeera they were asking for “free
democratic elections”.
“I think the Egyptian population have had enough. They’ve
seen what happened in Tunisia and how you can bring about a
change. What we are asking for is Mubarak, father and son,
to leave.”
Many Tunisians, who saw major and violent protests topple
the leadership of its president earlier this month, have
also expressed solidarity with Egypt, saying that they hoped
their revolution would spark events around the Arab world.
Around 50 people are holding a demonstration outside the
Egyptian embassy in Tunis, the capital, brandishing placards
with slogans reading “Mubarak Out!” and “Freedom”.
“We are here to say that the Tunisian people are behind the
Egyptian people. They have suffered in the way that we
suffered. It’s time for change,” Monia Mechri, one of the
protesters, was quoted by the AFP news agency.
The Progressive Democratic Party, a former opposition group
that has now joined Tunisia’s interim government, said Egypt
had “called in the hour of change for an end to injustice
and dictatorship”.
“The Egyptian people supported the Tunisian people’s
revolution. Our heart is with you and our voices never cease
to pray for victory,” it added in a statement.
Ahmed, a blogger and activist at the rally told Al Jazeera
that what has happened in Egypt is “very great”.
“Now democracy will be ... one effect in the Arabic world,”
he said. He said activists in Tunisia had used Facebook to
message people in Egypt with advice on how to tackle police
tactics during their protests.
Demonstrations have also been held outside the Egyptian
embassy in Doha, the Qatari capital, where political
demonstrations are a rare event.
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