- NEW: Clashes break out between police and protesters after a huge rally Tuesday night
- NEW: Muslim Brotherhood will hold nationwide rallies in support of Morsy on Saturday
- Egypt's Cabinet chief says there will be no retreat from the constitutional decree
- A Morsy backer says the president has "overwhelming" support from Egyptians
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(CNN) -- Fresh clashes broke out in Cairo on Wednesday near Tahrir Square, as riot police fired tear gas and charged at Egyptian protesters angry about a move by President Mohamed Morsy to extend his powers.
Dozens of police officers -- backed by trucks firing tear gas -- advanced across Simon Boulevard Square, arresting many young people, some of whom were beaten by officers. Protesters continued to throw stones at police.
The latest clashes come after huge numbers of protesters swarmed into the square Tuesday night into Wednesday, hoping to revive a democratic groundswell that swept the country's former strongman from power nearly two years ago.
Observers suggested the crowds were the biggest seen since former strongman Hosni Mubarak was forced out early last year following days of street protests.
Egyptian protesters clash with police Demonstrators waved flags and banners, chanted slogans and called on their first freely elected leader to roll back last week's decree giving himself expanded presidential powers -- or resign. The crowd included many different Egyptian factions, including Western-style liberals, secularists, moderates and women's rights activists.
"I'm here because this is our country -- all of us," one woman told CNN. "It's not just for our president."
But Morsy showed no signs of backing down.
Egypt's Cabinet chief, Mohamed Refa'a al-Tahtawi, said there will be no retreat from the constitutional decree, state-run EGYNews reported. He reportedly stressed the president would not back down because his actions were motivated by democratic aims.
Mahmoud Ghozlan, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, Morsy's political movement, said Wednesday that it would stage nationwide protests Saturday in support of Morsy and his decree.
The Muslim Brotherhood called off a planned "million man" protest Monday amid concerns about political tensions and potential violence.
There were no official crowd estimates for Tuesday night's demonstrations, but the square was packed as protesters clogged the roundabout and tents filled the grassy area in the middle. The rally lasted into early Wednesday, with some demonstrators singing and playing drums and guitars while others listened to speeches.
CNN iReporter Ahmed Raafat, who attended the protests in Cairo, said he saw hordes of people chanting as they headed to Tahrir Square.
"The atmosphere last night was great," he said. "There were people of all ages, men and women, people of different backgrounds ... I saw people who had never taken to the streets before."
Though the protest was mostly peaceful, at least one demonstrator died in early clashes with authorities ahead of Tuesday night's massive rally, the Ministry of Health said. The opposition Popular Alliance Party said the protester died after inhaling excessive amounts of tear gas, which police used in numerous scuffles with rock-throwing demonstrators on the side streets leading to the square.
Egyptian judge on Morsy's edict Dr. Khaled al-Khatib, a Ministry of Health spokesman, said 290 people had been injured in Cairo since the clashes between police and protesters broke out late last week.
Another 120 people were injured in violence Tuesday night in the Nile Delta city of Mahalla, he said.
Police in Mahalla said demonstrators stormed the local headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood, Interior Ministry spokesman Alla Mahmoud told CNN. Police also used tear gas to break up the melees and made numerous arrests, but the building was destroyed, Mahmoud said.
Ahmed al-Aguizi, a spokesman for the Freedom and Justice Party -- the Brotherhood's political arm -- said the anti-Morsy protesters carried knives, swords, clubs and guns and battled Brotherhood supporters for four hours.
Earlier this week, clashes in the northern city of Damanhour, where anti-Morsy protesters attacked local offices of the Muslim Brotherhood, also injured 20 people, al-Khatib said.
Opinion: Don't blame Muslim Brotherhood for Morsy power grab
Protesters are angry with Morsy for his declaration last week that his edicts are beyond the reach of judges in what critics call an unprecedented power grab. A statement Monday night that appeared to at least partially limit the scope of the decree did not dampen their anger.
On Monday, Morsy's office clarified the edict, saying it only applied to "sovereign matters." Morsy "did not give himself judicial power" but did provide "immunity for his presidential decisions," said Jihad Haddad, a senior adviser in the Freedom and Justice Party.
Haddad added that "the president himself (is) not immune from judicial oversight," though it wasn't clear in what instances that would come into practice, or if there was anything preventing Morsy from issuing a new decree so this could not happen.
Protesters want to show that "the whole population of Egypt is against" Morsy and his backers, former Finance Minister Samir Radwan said.
Morsy and his Muslim Brotherhood supporters have defended the policy as necessary to support the fragile Arab Spring revolution that pushed Mubarak from power and led to the country's first free elections. On Tuesday, the Brotherhood's official Twitter feed dismissed the protests as underwhelming and said what it described as a low turnout indicated a "lack of support among Egyptians."
Edict divides Egypt, unifies opponents
U.S. raises concerns about Egypt But Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy said the crowds have turned out to tell Morsy, "We are your checks and balances."
"We are the people who will keep you honest, right after you grabbed all of this power for yourself that has made you even more powerful than Mubarak, who we got rid of last year," Eltahawy told CNN. "So, the people are there to say, 'We might have elected you as president, but we did not elect a new dictator.' "
Eltahawy said Egypt's judiciary does need to be "cleansed" -- "but the way to help Egypt toward freedom is not by paving it with dictatorship."
Morsy's November 22 decree said that judges can't overturn his decisions or interfere with an Islamist-dominated council writing a new constitution. He also sacked the nation's top prosecutor.
In addition to outbursts on the street, Egypt's judges have reacted. All but seven of Egypt's 34 courts and 90% of its prosecutors went on strike Monday in protest, said Judge Mohamed al Zind of the Egyptian Judge's Club. He described Morsy's edict as "the most vicious ... attack on the judicial authority's independence."
Al Zind said Wednesday the Court of Cassation, the country's highest appeals court, had suspended its work until Morsy's decree is rescinded. He also announced that Sunday, the country's higher constitutional court would examine what he called the unconstitutional edict and would consider cases calling for the disbanding of the Shura Council, the upper house of parliament.
Analysis: Morsy makes his move
Morsy insists he's trying to protect Egypt's Arab Spring revolution, not accumulate unchecked power. His moves "cemented the process that would create the institutions that would limit his power, define the constitution and have parliamentary elections so that we can say this is a democracy," Haddad said.
Senior presidential aide Essam El-Erian called concerns about Morsy's edict overblown, blaming the protests on "counterrevolutionary forces" loyal to Mubarak's party. Polls show "an overwhelming majority supporting President Morsy and his decisions," Haddad said Monday.
But critics don't believe that.
Amr Hamzawy, a member of the now-dissolved parliament, said action is needed to prevent more "suffering" under a president with "sweeping powers," as Egypt had for 60 years under men like Mubarak, Anwar Sadat and Gamal Nasser.
"Morsy is the ... president who has sweeping executive (power), sweeping legislative (power) and ... puts himself above the judicial branch of government," said Hamzawy, founder of Egypt's Freedom Party. "That is a very dangerous mix, which can only lead to a dictatorship."
The rest of the world is watching, too.
Former U.S. diplomat Jamie Rubin said Morsy's edict "brings to mind all the fears that people in that part of the world have had about the Muslim Brotherhood when it comes to democracy."
Morsy to meet with top judicial body
The unrest also raises new concerns about stability in Egypt, which has gone through two years of protests and turmoil.
"The majority of the people are really suffering, and they were looking forward to some stability," said Radwan, the former finance minister, who served under Mubarak as well as in the government that followed him. "I'm afraid that this constitutional declaration has blown it up."
Hamas leaders in Egypt for cease-fire talks
CNN's Reza Sayah and journalists Ian Lee and Mohamed Fadel Fahmy reported from Cairo. CNN's Michael Pearson, Greg Botelho and Jason Hanna contributed to this report in Atlanta.
Egyptians carry a giant national flag as tens of thousands take part in a mass rally against a decree by President Mohamed Morsy granting himself broad powers on Tuesday, November 27, in Cairo. Activists have been camping out in Tahrir Square since Friday to protest what they consider overreaching powers for the president. Clashes between police and pro testing youths erupted near Tahrir Square ahead of the demonstration. 
An Egyptian protester holds up a Quran and a figure of Christ on the cross during Tuesday's demonstration. 
Protesters continue to rally in Tahrir Square on Tuesday. 
An Egyptian protester attempts to throw back a tear gas canister on Tuesday during clashes with riot police in Omar Makram Street, off Tahrir Square. 
Activists in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Monday, November 26, carry the coffin of Gaber Salah, an activist who died overnight after he was critically injured in clashes in Cairo. Salah, a member of the April 6 movement known by his nickname "Jika," was injured last week during confrontations between police and protesters on Cairo's Mohammed Mahmud street. 
Thousands of activists attend the funeral of Gaber Salah on Monday. 
Protesters clash with Egyptian police at Simon Bolivar Square on Sunday, November 25, in Cairo. Egypt's powerful Muslim Brotherhood called nationwide demonstrations in support of Islamist President Mohamed Morsy in his showdown with the judges over the path to a new constitution. 
Egyptian protesters hurl stones at police at Tahrir Square on Sunday. 
Protesters gather at sit-in tents in Tahrir Square on Sunday. 
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy waves to supporters in front of the presidential palace in Cairo on Friday, November 23. Thousands of ecstatic supporters gathered outside the presidential palace to defend their leader against accusations from rival protesters that he has become a dictator. 
Morsy supporters gather outside the presidential palace in Cairo on Friday. Morsy insisted that Egypt was on the path to "freedom and democracy," as protesters held rival rallies over sweeping powers he assumed that further polarized the country's political forces. 
Protesters demonstrating against Morsy run from tear gas fired by Egyptian riot police during clashes in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday. 
Egyptian protesters throw rocks toward riot police on Friday 
Egyptian supporters and opponents of Morsy clash in the coastal city of Alexandria on Friday. 
A man throws a rock during clashes in Alexandria on Friday. 
Thousands of demonstrators march through the streets of Cairo to protest against Morsy on Friday. 
Clashes rocked the coastal city of Alexandria on Friday. 
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