Calls by political activists to hold a nationwide strike on 6 April went largely unheeded amid a large-scale deployment of security forces and reports of intimidation. The strike had been called by the April 6 Youth Movement to protest against corruption, political repression and the rising cost of living in the country.

Small demonstrations were held in some parts of Egypt including Cairo, where police arrested numerous protesters. A group of around 100 opposition MPs mostly linked to the banned Muslim Brotherhood also walked out of parliament to mark what had been dubbed as the