CAIRO, Egypt --An all-woman demonstration took place in Cairo on Thursday to protest the death of Shaimaa al Sabbagh during a peaceful protest commemorating the Jan. 25 revolution.
Egyptian security forces reportedly shot the female activist whose death was caught on camera, sparking outrage around the world.
Women now holding stand for Shaimaa Sabagh in the place she was killed - chants against MOI & military. #Egypt #Jan25 pic.twitter.com/jeKIJCFiv3— Fatima Said (@fattysaid) January 29, 2015
On Thursday, in defiance of a government decree, the protesters gathered on the spot in Talaat Harb Street in Cairo where Sabbagh fell.
Finally, loud chants of "Down with Military Rule" at #ShaimaaSabbagh stand, where she was shot. #شيماء_الصباغ pic.twitter.com/UPnOJojyFr— Merna Thomas (@mernathomas) January 29, 2015
"@Mu_Fadil: "@SherineT: Egyptian women attend vigil in #cairo in honor of #shaimaa_sabbagh #وقفة_شهيدة_الورد #Egypt pic.twitter.com/G11ncS9TfB""— Reem Khorshid (@ReemKhorshid) January 29, 2015
The demonstrators told reporters that they had organized the women-only protest to avoid infiltration by plain-clothes police officers. Men were allowed to join the protest but only to cover it as journalists.
Despite a wealth of photos and video from the scene showing a blood-streaked Sabbagh falling to the ground as masked security personnel run towards her, the Interior Ministry and the police have both released statements since Sabbagh's death saying that it's not yet known who is responsible.
Earlier this week, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry went as far as to release a statement condemning foreign news coverage which they said failed to highlight the government's declaration "that Sabbagh's murder would not go unpunished."
Video by #Egypt MoI to counter #shaimaa_sabagh criticism includes lots of CT images but nothing relevant to her case pic.twitter.com/MNfu26byTn— Borzou Daragahi (@borzou) January 29, 2015
On Thursday, the demonstrators chanted "the interior ministry are thugs" and "down with military rule." Some even held signs showing Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim's face with the word "murderer" across it.
Poster of the Minister of the Interior Mohamad Ibrahim with the words "Shaimaa’s Killer" at the protest now: pic.twitter.com/T17foHZZtz— Omar Robert Hamilton (@ORHamilton) January 29, 2015
A small counter-protest of gathered on the other side of the road, hoping to drown out the Sabbagh protest by chanting songs in favor of current President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi.
Pro-sissi crowd opposite #shaimaa_sabbagh rally , an attempt at stealing their thunder pic.twitter.com/zwZHcRh1Lk— Sarah El Deeb (@seldeeb) January 29, 2015
Protestors gathered around a monument depicting the now-iconic image of Sabbagh's final moments. After she was shot, her husband held her in his arms as she was dying.
Rest in Peace, Shaimaa Al-Sabagh. pic.twitter.com/xNqwwy5Scb via @CairoScene. #egypt— Mai El-Sadany (@maitelsadany) January 29, 2015
"@ianjameslee: Something new adorning the streets of Cairo. #Egypt #shaimaa_sabbagh pic.twitter.com/3h6G3GYhHF"— أستاذ خشن (@mohamedelkhesh2) January 29, 2015
Sabbagh was shot in broad daylight on her way to the nearby Tahrir Square where she intended to lay a wreath of flowers in memory of those who died in the 2011 revolution. Her husband carried her limp body through the streets searching for help, before eventually collapsing outside a cafe to watch his wife die in his arms.
A hashtag for the demo christened Sabbagh "the martyr of flowers."
Six eyewitnesses at the scene, including Sabbagh's husband, were later arrested.
One woman gave a statement via Facebook after she was released, saying that the police had vastly outnumbered the marchers and that the security forces had begun firing birdshot as soon as the marchers had begun chanting.
Sabbagh was killed by birdshot that hit her in the heart and lungs from about 25 feet away, according to autopsy results released on Thursday.
In the days following her death, a wealth of conspiracy theories sprung up online with pro-government sources claiming members of the Muslim Brotherhood were really to blame for the killing of Sabbagh.
Thursday's demonstration was a protest against the government's security forces as well as members of the public who ignored the cries for help from Sabbagh's husband.
On Thursday, there was a heavy presence of security forces in downtown Cairo. For the protesters, though, such police presence doesn't exactly signal security.
I never felt too much scared before going to protests, but now, I do. Every single time. #Jan25— Reem Khorshid (@ReemKhorshid) January 29, 2015
Indeed, fears about the dangers of protesting were so intense that many of the people who attended the short demo tweeted at how exceptional it was for a protest to pass without a brutal police crackdown.
Police officer to protesters: "leave here so that what happened to #shaimaa_sabbagh doesn't happen to you"— Sarah El Deeb (@seldeeb) January 29, 2015
To commemorate Sabbagh, people left flowers and drawings in the streets.
Protesters have left Talaat Harb, no one has been arrested. Flowers and slogans on the street pic.twitter.com/7FztRDPc4z pic via @ali_burrasque— Ruth Vandewalle (@ruthruthcairo) January 29, 2015
But after the demonstration was over, police quickly removed the flowers left for Sabbagh.
In a country a trash collection problem as bad as #Egypt, cops go out of their way to remove roses left for #Shaimaa pic.twitter.com/7Hox8ZFbAF— sherief gaber (@cairocitylimits) January 29, 2015
After Sabbagh's death, Egyptians have begun re-sharing photos of a saying graffitied on walls around Cairo during the 2011 revolution. It reads "you can crush the flowers, but you can't delay the spring."