CAIRO, Egypt — About 5,000 demonstrators, some waving copies of the Quran, rallied yesterday to demand democratic change in Egypt in their biggest show of force in more than two months.
The protest, which brought out thousands of riot police, was dominated by supporters of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood. But several hundred members of other opposition groups — mainly secular leftists — began chanting “Down with Mubarak” and “Enough with Mubarak,” referring to President Hosni Mubarak by name.

That prompted Brotherhood supporters to leave halfway through the two-hour rally.

The protest was intended to support judges who have said May’s constitutional referendum was marred with violations. The referendum approved an amendment allowing multi-candidate presidential elections in September for the first time. Mubarak’s government has touted the change as a major democratic reform, but opposition groups say it is not enough.

The Brotherhood — which is banned but for years has been Egypt’s strongest opposition movement — has joined in the wave of demonstrations, launching the National Alliance for Reform and Change last month in a bid to unite factions.

Though they have shown a level of cooperation rarely seen in the past, the relationship between the Brotherhood and other groups has been rocky. The Brotherhood has taken the brunt of government retaliation — with hundreds of supporters arrested after their last large protests in May.

By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD
The Associated Press