Egyptians demand Morsi go in mass protests Egyptians have flooded the streets of Cairo determined to oust Islamist President Mohamed Morsi on the anniversary of his turbulent first year in power. The protests are the biggest Egypt has seen since the 2011 revolt. A sea of jubilant demonstrators converged on Tahrir Square and the large avenue outside the presidential palace, as well as in several others squares of the capital as army helicopters circled overhead. Police sources say that hundreds of thousands of protesters had taken to the streets in Cairo alone. As chants of "Leave!" rang around the capital, the presidency insisted that dialogue was the only way out of the crisis. "The presidency is open to a real and serious national dialogue," presidential spokesman Ehab Fahmy told reporters. Anti-Morsi protests were also being staged in the coastal city of Alexandria, the Nile Delta cities of Mansura, Menuf, Tanta and Mahalla, the canal cities of Suez and Port Said and in the president's hometown of Zagazig. In Tahrir, protesters waved red cards and Egyptian flags as patriotic songs boomed from large speakers. "The people want the ouster of the regime," the protesters chanted, echoing the signature slogan of the 2011 revolt that ousted Hosni Mubarak and brought Morsi to power. "This is the second revolution and Tahrir is the symbol of the revolution," said carpenter Ibrahim Hammouda, who came from the northern city of Damietta for the protest. Morsi supporters had held days of demonstrations in a show of strength and vowed to continue doing so to defend his legitimacy, raising fears of confrontations. But Sunday's anti-government protests eclipsed their gathering in Cairo's Nasr City neighbourhood. Police and troops have deployed at key buildings nationwide, security officials said, and the health ministry said hospitals are on high alert in case of violence.