Egypt braces for biggest opposition demonstration in years

Egypt's authoritarian government is bracing itself for one of the biggest opposition demonstrations in recent years tomorrow, as thousands of protesters prepare to take to the streets demanding political reform.

An unlikely alliance of youth activists, political Islamists, industrial workers and hardcore football fans have pledged to join a nationwide "day of revolution" on a national holiday to celebrate the achievements of the police force, The Guardian informs.

But the Egyptian interior minister has promised that security forces "will not take lightly any damage to property or breaches of the law" and there are fears among some opposition leaders of heavy-handedness on the part of the authorities. An emergency law that has been in place for decades and which gives police wide powers to arrest protesters was renewed last year.

Demonstrators, particularly young Egyptians struggling to find jobs, appear to have been galvanised by recent protests in Tunisia that resulted in the Tunisian president fleeing to Saudi Arabia after 23 years of rule. Egyptians and Tunisians share many grievances, including economic hardship and state repression, euronews reports.