Thousands of protesters staged rallies in Sohag on Saturday against President Mohamed Mursi's visit to the governorate to launch the development plan of Upper Egypt governorates.

An Aswat Masriya witness said that the protesters carried coffins wrapped in Egypt's flag and pictures of the dead journalist Husseini Abu Deif who was killed in clashes at the presidential palace following Mursi's decree that gave him sweeping powers in November.

The protesters, who mostly belong to opposition parties, chanted against the Muslim Brotherhood that Muris hails from, "Down down with the rule of the Guide" referring to the Brotherhood's supreme guide Mohamed Badei.

They also chanted against the price hikes and the lack of diesel oil.

The protesters marched to Sohag's stadium where the president is holding a press conference, but the security forces stopped them from reaching the stadium.

Clashes broke out between the security forces and the protesters who tried to forcefully get to the stadium.

The security forces fired teargas to disperse the crowds, causing the suffocation of a number of people.

Meanwhile, around 500 persons who belong to Islamist Parties staged protests in front of the stadium to protest the entry of anti-revolution personal into the stadium during the president's press conference.

In addition to that, some journalists staged a protest objecting to being denied entry to the press conference.