Crowds gather for anti-Morsi rallies Egypt is bracing for mass protests as President Mohamed Morsi's opponents determine to oust him. EGYPT is bracing for mass rallies with President Mohamed Morsi's opponents determined to oust him and his Islamist supporters vowing to defend his legitimacy, stoking fears of a violent first anniversary of his taking office. Thousands of jubilant protesters gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square ahead of Sunday's scheduled marches, waving Egyptian flags as patriotic songs boomed from speakers. "The people want the ouster of the regime," the protesters chanted, the signature slogan of the 2011 revolt that ousted Hosni Mubarak and brought Morsi to power. Some protesters held up red cards, others wore black headbands with 'Leave, Morsi!' written on them. "This is the second revolution and Tahrir is the symbol of the revolution," said carpenter Ibrahim Hammouda, who travelled from the northern city of Damietta to join the protest. Marchers were scheduled to set off at 5pm local time (0200 AEDT Monday) for the Ittihadiya presidential palace, close to a neighbourhood where thousands of Morsi supporters vowed to pursue a counter-demonstration in defence of the president. Anti-Morsi demonstrations were also expected in provincial cities. Police and troops have deployed to protect key buildings around the country, security officials said. The health ministry said hospitals have been placed on high alert. A senior security official said the Suez Canal, the vital waterway that connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea, has been placed under "maximum security." The streets of Cairo were unusually quiet for the first day of the working week in Egypt, with banks and most offices closed. The grassroots movement Tamarod - Arabic for rebellion - is behind a campaign that claims to have collected millions of signatures to a petition demanding Morsi's resignation and new elections. Morsi, previously a senior Muslim Brotherhood leader, is Egypt's first freely elected president, catapulted to power by the 2011 uprising that ended three decades of authoritarian rule by Mubarak. His opponents accuse him of betraying the revolution by concentrating power in Islamist hands and of sending the economy into free fall. But his supporters say that many of the challenges he faces he inherited from a corrupt regime, and that he should be allowed to serve out his term which ends in 2016. Any attempt to remove him from office, they say, is a coup against democracy. Leading opposition figure, Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, urged the president "to listen to the people" and step aside. The fervent displays of emotion from both camps highlight the deep divisions in the Arab world's most populous country. The army, which led a tumultuous transition after the revolt that ousted Mubarak, has warned it will intervene if there is major unrest.