Egyptians in Canada back home protests

Hundreds of Egyptians have staged rallies in several Canadian cities to show solidarity with their countrymen demonstrating against President Hosni Mubarak.

The protesters chanted “People united we’ll never be defeated” as they converged in downtown Toronto to support the anti-government protests in Egypt, where the outpouring of rage against the 82-year-old Mubarak is set to enter its seventh consecutive day, a Press TV correspondent reported on Sunday.

Supporters in Canada said that the Egyptian president’s dismissal of his cabinet ministers would not be enough to tackle the problems Egyptians are encountering, including high unemployment rates, corruption and poverty in the North African country.

Similar protests were held in several other major cities across Canada as a sign of solidarity with Egyptians, who are defying a nationwide curfew under heavy military presence.

About 100 people demonstrated in front of Calgary city hall to show support for their families and friends in Egypt.

In Edmonton, howls of protests rose as over 100 people rallied on Saturday afternoon and dozens of police were deployed to control the crowd.

According to Statistics Canada — the country’s national statistical news agency — almost 60,000 Egyptians are currently living in Canada and approximately 6,500 Canadians are in Egypt.

The Canadian government has issued official warning against non-essential travel to Cairo, Suez and Alexandria — three major Egyptian cities where the bulk of the anti-government uprising is located.

Clashes between Egyptian protesters and police have left 150 people dead and thousands of others wounded since the outburst of the rallies on Tuesday.