Egyptian police mounted a huge show of force in central Cairo last week and closed off entrances to Tahrir Square on Friday after calls for protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi following opposition accusations of corruption, which he denies. Protests broke out on Sept. 20 in Cairo and other cities following online calls for demonstrations against alleged graft by Sisi and the powerful military. Sisi, who was in New York this week attending the U.N. General Assembly, returned to Cairo on Friday morning, where he was greeted off his plane by senior ministers and later stopped to speak to a crowd of supporters on the roadside. Sisi also appeared to repeat his earlier rejection of allegations of corruption posted online by Mohamed Ali, a former contractor and actor, in the run-up to the protests. Ali's videos have attracted a wide following.
To look at this we joined by:
• Dr Lucia Ardovini, Research Fellow (MENA Programme)The Swedish Institute of International Affairs
• Mr Mohammed Taha, a PHD candidate from the SOAS University in London
