Cairo million women march not more than 1000

No more than 1000 people showed up at Cairo's Million Woman march in Tahrir Square today. including some men who chanted anti-feminist slogans. The event quickly resulted in shouting matches between the two sides.

"Men are men and women are women and that will never change and go home, that's where you belong," were some of the anti-feminist slogans chanted.

Activists in Cairo were calling for a “Million Woman March” to take place on Tuesday to campaign for more women in the new government after a committee made up only of men was selected to draft the country’s constitution. The march was also meant to pay tribute to the women who helped to overthrow former President Hosni MubarakPresident Hosni Mubarak including the 12 women known to have died in clashes with security. It coincided with International Women’s Day and was scheduled to take place in Tahrir Square, the scene of mass demonstrations during Egypt's revolution which brought down Mubarak as well as the shortlived rulership of Ahmed Shafiq.

Aalam Wassef, one of the march's organisers, told the Guardian before the march that it would build on the "amazing unity" between men and women in the 18 days of the revolution. "Women in a democracy are a good indication of how genuine a democracy it is. If you take women as an indicator it gives an idea of everything that needs to be done. Everyone will benefit," Wassef said.

The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights said that it closed its program which helped young women get involved in local politics five years ago because of lack of interest. However it was now inundated with young women wanting to get involved in its campaigns.

On Monday, Egypt's military rulers swore in a new Cabinet including some new faces in key ministries, after protestors demanded that the new government be free of Hosni Mubarak’s cronies.