Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Egyptian cities of Port Said, Ismailiyah and Suez in defiance of President Mohamed Morsi's declaration of a curfew and a state of emergency after days of deadly unrest, Aljazeera reported.
The crowds shouted "Down down with Mohamed Morsi, down down with the state of emergency," in Ismailiyah and similar slogans were heard in the other cities along the Suez Canal.
Five days of unrest has led to 50 deaths, and police once again clashed with protesters in Suez and downtown Cairo on Monday. At least two people were killed in Monday's clashes in Port Said, reported Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh from the Suez Canal town. In Suez, meanwhile, hundreds of prisoners at a city jail made a failed attempt to escape during chaotic protests.
Egypt's senate on Monday ratified a law that would grant the armed forces powers of arrest.
In Port Said, however, Al Jazeera's Rageh reported that the army was not enforcing the curfew.
"Thousands poured into the streets when the curfew went into effect, in clear defiance of President Morsi in all three cities," she reported late on Monday.
"The military has completely pulled back, and in some instances even allowed protesters to pose for pictures on tanks in the streets. They do not appear to be trying to enforce the curfew in the streets of Port Said."