Thousands of supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi protested in provinces across Egypt after Friday prayers under the slogan "Egypt's women are a red line."



The pro-Morsi National Coalition in Support of Legitimacy had called for protests decrying recent arrests of women protesting in support of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.



In Cairo, Menoufiya, Assiut and Sharqiya governorates, protesters chanted against the Egyptian army and police and shouted slogans in support of Morsi, reported Al-Ahram's Arabic news website.



Small clashes broke out in Alexandria between pro-Morsi demonstrators and opponents in the Sidi Beshr district of the city.


Police forces stepped in to end the clashes, arresting pro-Morsi supporters in the process, according to a security official who spoke to Al-Ahram's Arabic website.

Pro-Morsi demonstrators also took to the streets in Burg Al-Arab, a working class suburb west of Alexandria, a few kilometres from the maximum security prison housing the ousted president. Protesters called for the release of Morsi and chanted "Down Down military rule."


The Muslim Brotherhood-led coalition had accused security forces of beating, torturing and detaining women in the latest security crackdown against Morsi supporters.



Last week, 21 Muslim Brotherhood women were arrested during a demonstration in Egypt's second largest city Alexandria.



Video footage circulating on social media networks showed security forces manhandling some of the women arrested.



"Such practices didn't stop at killing men, women and children in massacres as had happened in Rabaa Al-Adawiya and Al-Nahda Square; instead there is an unprecedented targeted attack on women," the statement read.



The sit-ins at Rabaa Al-Adawiya and Al-Nahda Square in Cairo were violently dispersed by police in August, leaving hundreds of protesters dead.



The coalition said that "increasing violence" by security forces is a sign of the "failure of the coup."



Morsi was ousted by the army in July after mass protests calling for his overthrow. He made his first public appearance at a court session on Monday. He is facing a number of charges, including inciting violence against protesters during his presidency.



The coalition, which has been staging regular protests since Morsi's ouster, said it will launch a week of protests.

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