A number of Egyptian intellectuals are planning a protest tomorrow Thursday 23 August. The protest, which will start from Talaat Harb Square downtown in the evening, aims to send a clear message about the position of intellectuals in relation to the draft constitution being prepared, in particular to the sections related to freedom of expression, creativity, thinking and the press.

The protest is the first action by a new initiative, Protecting the Egyptian Mind, involving a number of intellectuals including renowned writer Ibrahim Abdel-Meguid, artist Mohamed Abla, critics Sabry Hafez and Mohamed Badawi, writer Abla El-Roweini, professor Sherine Abul-Naga, publisher Fatma El-Budy and a number of other poets and intellectuals.

There are plans to launch a website hosting open and free discussions about the future of culture in Egypt, in addition to an outreach campaign, knocking on doors and going to popular cafes to talk with members of the public.

This comes one week after a number of measures were taken to prevent some prominent writers from contributing to popular newspapers, and as new chief editors of public newspapers have been appointed.