Thousands rally for goals of 2011 Egyptian uprising

CAIRO -- Thousands of Egyptians demonstrated across the country to denounce the president and pursue the goals of the 2011 popular uprising.

Saturday's protests marked the fifth anniversary of the formation of the April 6th Youth Movement started in 2008 under former president Hosni Mubarak. Workers in Mahalla tore down a poster of Mubarak in what was a daring move at the time.

The group also played a crucial role in the uprising that toppled Mubarak.

The movement initially backed President Mohammed Morsi in election runoffs last June, but has since turned against him.

The opposition accuses him of acting like his autocratic predecessor and of not having an inclusive political process. Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party says Morsi should be challenged at the ballot box, not in street protests.

The country is reeling from seemingly endless waves of protests and political turmoil pitting a largely secular and liberal opposition against Morsi, his Brotherhood backers and fellow Islamists.

Activists pushed a long list of demands, including the formation of a more inclusive government amid a worsening economy.

A recent diesel crisis has crippled life for millions in Egypt who rely on subsidized fuel, while the value of the country's currency has slid sharply and the central bank's foreign reserves are shrinking.

It is demanding changes to parts of the new constitution, which was passed in a contentious referendum last year. Some in the group are angry that Morsi's government is engaged in reconciliation talks with former regime officials, and demand sweeping reforms in the country's police and judiciary.

Among the most contentious issues is that Morsi appointed his own attorney general, a move the opposition says blurs the separation of powers and throws into question the prosecutor's ability to independently investigate the presidency.

Police fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters outside the chief prosecutor's office in central Cairo; they were pushing against the building's doors demanding he resign.

The head of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, Saad al-Katatny, acknowledged in a statement on Facebook that groups such as April 6 played a pivotal role in the country's revolution.

"We battled against tyranny together for many years," he wrote. "I hope we can repeat that experience and overcome our differences in order to build a modern, democratic state."