For the second week in a row, demonstrations against Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi were held in the cities of Qena, Luxor, Sohag and al-Warkh near Giza governorate.

On Sept. 27, demonstrators defied tight security measures imposed in various provinces and chanted slogans calling for Sisi’s departure. Others protested the deplorable situation in the country, calling for the overthrow of the regime. The police dispersed the demonstrators using tear gas.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Sisi supporters from several governorates rallied the same day in Nasr City near Rabaa al-Adawiya Square, east of Cairo, where a series of performances were given by artists Mohamed Fouad, Mohamed Ramadan and Mahmoud al-Laithi. A number of celebrities, public figures and members of parliament attended the rally, as security forces allowed the limited demonstration to take place immediately after Friday prayers.

Officials in several government agencies said they had been instructed to be at their workplaces Sept. 27 and wait for buses to take them to a pro-Sisi rally. They were also told they would be compensated for a day off, with lunch and drinks provided.