Cairo: Dozens of Egyptian policemen in a provincial city started a rare protest since President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi took office more than a year ago.
The protesters closed six police stations in the province of Sharkia, around 80 kilometres north east of Cairo, and gathered outside them, demanding better work and financial conditions, local media reported.
They vowed not to end the protest until they get better wages and healthcare services at hospitals serving officers.
“We will not end our sit-in until our demands are met,” said Sherif Reda, a member of the Police Union Club in Sharkia. “We will not accept any false promises as happened before,” he told the independent news website Al Youm Al Saba.
The Interior Ministry, responsible for police in Egypt, accused the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood of standing behind the stoppage, an accusation denied by the protesters.
Egyptian authorities have mounted a tough crackdown on the Brotherhood since the army deposed Islamist president Mohammad Mursi in 2013 following enormous protests against his rule.
The government has restricted public rallies with hundreds of Islamists and secular activists detained for holding illegal protests in recent months.
Al Sissi, an ex-army chief, has advocated curbs on protests, saying they are necessary to re-establish security and revitalize an economy hammered by the unrest that followed the 2011 revolt.
