Egypt protests: FCO warns travellers to avoid worst demonstrations yet
Holidaymakers have been warned to stay clear of protests today as the biggest nationwide rallies so far are set to take place across Egypt.Protests are planned to begin after weekly prayers at noon and come a day after Foreign Secretary William Hague confirmed the FCO had updated its advice for travellers in Egypt following several days of violent clashes.The Egyptian government has shut down access to the internet in a bid to prevent protesters communicating via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and has partially disabled text messaging services.
Anger: Smoke rises over Suez after protesters torched the fire station during clashes with police
Blackout: Demonstrators fire flares towards riot police as they call for President Hosni Mubarak to be oustedHoliday companies have reassured travellers that they are in close contact with the FCO and staff on the ground in Egypt to ensure nobody is put in danger.Exodus currently has one group on an Egyptology Tour which has been unaffected by the unrest and is continuing with its itinerary as planned.However, a statement on its website read: 'We are following events very closely, and if new guidance is received from the FCO, we will update the information on this page. The safety of our clients is as always our highest concern, and we will continue to monitor the situation.'Tour operator Thomas Cook is also reviewing the situation before deciding whether to go ahead with a day trip to Cairo from the Red Sea resort area on Sunday. One trip this week has already been cancelled as a precaution.
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'There are press reports of calls for large scale demonstrations on Friday 28 January. You should avoid political gatherings and demonstrations and respect any advice or instruction from the local security authorities.'
The Red Sea area, popular with holidaymakers looking for winter sunshine, is currently unaffected by the violence and Britons have been continuing with their holidays as normal.However, the seaport town of Suez, a popular place for travellers looking to sail the world-famous canal, and the capital Cairo, favoured for its proximity to the Pyramids, have both been hubs for protests.
Unrest: Egyptians are angry about high unemployment and surging pricesAn elite special operationscounterterrorism force has been deployed by the government in strategiclocations in Cairo, including central Tahrir Square, to deterprotesters.In Suez, which has seen the worst of the violence so far, police have clashed with mobs of protesters, firing tear gas at crowds who hurled stones and petrol bombs.Waves of protesters attacked a police station in the city and the fire station was set alight.Six people have been killed so far in the clashes, including one who was shot dead by security forces in the north of the Sinai region on Thursday.Nobel Peace Prize winner MohamedElBaradei, who has returned to Egypt from Vienna, has called for HosniMubarak to resign and said he would join the protests.US-based internet monitoring fir! m Renesy s said the total shut-down earlier today was 'unprecedented in internet history'.Itsaid: 'Renesys observed the virtually simultaneous withdrawal of allroutes to Egyptian networks in the internet's global routing table.'The Egyptian government's actions tonight have essentially wiped their country from the global map.'
Taking cover: Riot police shelter behind a barricade. The Egyptian government has blocked off access to the internet to clamp down on protests
Violent: A protester hurls rocks at a police riot van in the port city of Suez and, right, people attempt to tear down a poster of President Hosni Mubarak
Casualties: Six people have been killed so far in violent clashes with police
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