The leaders of protesters in Qena seeking to replace the newly-appointed governer, Emad Mikhail, have called for a "million-man" demonstration on Friday.
The protesters have been on the streets since Friday, demanding the removal of Mikhail, who is a Christian and a former police general, and his replacement with a Muslim candidate.
“No one can impose anything on us that we do not want,” said Safwat Hegazy, a Muslim preacher.
Several imams from the city's mosques said the Ministry of Endowments had instructed them not to address the subject during the Friday prayers.
In Cairo, the cabinet said that the demonstrations represented a violation of the law and as such would not be tolerated.
Translated from the Arabic Edition