Egypt police break up referendum protest

By Aziz El-Kaissouni

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces broke up an opposition protest in Cairo on Sunday, on the eve of a referendum on constitutional changes which opponents fear will strengthen the ruling party's grip on power.

Hundreds of riot police and plainclothes security men were deployed to head off protests against amendments, which rights groups and opposition activists say are a step backward for freedom and democracy.

The government says the amendments are necessary to avert sectarianism and terrorism.

The proposals, if adopted, would allow President Hosni Mubarak to dissolve parliament unilaterally and would weaken judicial oversight of elections, which have been marred by complaints of widespread irregularities.

An anti-terrorism clause would also give the police sweeping powers of arrest and surveillance. In addition the amendments will ban parties based on religion.

"These constitutional amendments are a historical step ... They open new doors for democracy," Mubarak said in a statement carried by state news agency MENA. He added the amendments would also ensure stability in Egypt.

About 19 people were arrested during the protests, security sources said.

"Based on these amendments, unless God shows mercy on us, the future for this country is dark," Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Mahdi Akef told Reuters in an interview. The Brotherhood is the country's largest opposition force, holding a fifth of the seats in parliament.

The government's secular and Islamist opponents say the vote will be rigged.

"It's 100 percent rigged," said Akef. "Watch the balloting stations tomorrow. It'll succeed. (Egypt) has armies of civil servants and factory workers (to vote in favor)."

The Brotherhood, which sees the bar on political activity based on religion as being directed at them, plans to boycott the referendum, along with other opposition groups.

Dozens of opposition activists who turned out to protest the amendments on Sunday evening were blocked by police, who beat protesters with their fists and dragged some off into waiting police trucks in a central Cairo square, a Reuters witness said.

Security officers also shoved several journalists covering the protest and briefly confiscated the camera of a Reuters photographer. They returned the camera after removing the images.

The anti-government Kefaya protest movement has called on Egyptians to dress in black and raise banners of mourning on Monday, and asked activists to hold peaceful protests and strikes across the country.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, visiting Egypt, voiced concerns over the amendments during talks with Mubarak but said political change would have "ups and downs" and said she would not tell Egypt how to proceed with reforms.