CAIRO, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of supporters of Egypt's toppled president Mohamed Morsi took to street across the country on Friday, the supposed first day of a continuous protests ahead of the trial of Morsi in the coming days.
The protesters chanted slogans against police and the armed forces and held the four-finger Rabaa sign, calling for Morsi's reinstatement. Minor clashes erupted between supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood group and residents in some places.
In Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and the neighborhood governorate Giza, protesters marched from mosques in Maadi, Mohandiseen and many other districts after Friday's noon prayer, part of whom gathered around some important national institutes like the presidential palace and the headquarter of the military intelligence.
The armed forces and police completely closed the iconic square of Tahrir along with the squares of Rabaa Al-Adawiya, Mostafa Mahmoud and Nahda to ban any possible marches, and further troops have been deployed around the Al-Qubba Presidential Palace to ban any possible protests by Muslim Brotherhood supporters outside the palace, official news agency MENA reported.
In Egypt's second largest city Alexandria, police fired tear gas to break up clashes between Morsi supporters and residents, semi-official Al-Ahram online website reported.
Protests also took place on Friday in southern Egypt's Assiut, Minya, Faiyum, Beni Suef, and in the Nile Delta governorates of Gharbiya, Mahalla, Damietta and Beheira, according to Al-Ahram online.
The protests were called for by the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy, a coalition of parties and groups led by Muslim Brotherhood that demand the reinstatement of Morsi.
Cairo Appeals Court has set November 4 for the beginning of the trial of Morsi along with 14 of top MB leaders, who face charges of inciting the murder of protesters outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace.