BRKG Scuffles break out at Egypt protest in Cairo

Scuffles?

crashes about, jangles, rumbles, geeting very mad, turn into riot

More than 150 wounded in clashes over Egypt military’s handling of transition

More than 150 people were wounded in Egypt’s capital Cairo on Saturday during clashes between protesters angry at the ruling military council’s handling of the transition period and army loyalists, according to Egypt’s state TV.

About 1,000 protesters marched from Tahrir Square in central Cairo towards the defense ministry, the headquarters of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, but were blocked by residents of the Al Abbasya neighborhood and military loyalists.

The two sides pelted each other with stones and Molotov cocktails, prompting the army to fire in air to disperse the crowds.

“Down with the military,” the protesters chanted, branding its leader Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi “an agent of America.”

Ambulances were seen tending to the injured, as an army helicopter flew overhead shining its spotlight into the crowd.

Mr. Tantawi vowed on Saturday to build “the pillars of a democratic state which promotes freedom and the rights of citizens.”

Mr. Tantawi, whose military council took over after a popular uprising forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down in February, was seen leaving the compound before the protesters arrived.

Egyptian youth protesters vowed to remain in Tahrir Square until their demands are met, after violence broke out in a number of Egyptian cities between military police and protesters on Friday, in which up to 10 people and four policemen were hurt.

The army denied using force against demonstrators.

Protesters now in their 15th day of demonstrations have been camped in Tahrir and other squares across the country to back demands for more freedom for the civilian government, led by Essam Sharaf, an end to military trials and setting a timeframe for the completion of the demands for reform.

In his speech to mark the anniversary of the 1952 revolution which overthrew King Farouk in a bloodless coup, Mr. Tantawi said his mandate was to deliver an elected government to Egypt.

“We are committed to pressing ahead in turning Egypt to a modern civilian state,” Mr. Tantawi said in his speech.

“We are moving forward on the path to entrenching democracy that upholds freedoms and the rights of citizens through free and fair elections,” he added in a pre-recorded speech, his first address to the public since Mubarak was ousted.

[link to english.alarabiya.net]

Egypt after Mubarak: Slow pace of reform fuels anger

After weeks of mainly peaceful protests, Egypt's post-revolution crisis is entering a more violent phase of confrontations.

For two days running, demonstrators have marched from Tahrir Square to the headquarters of Egypt's military rulers, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, at the defence ministry.

There have also been angry confrontations in the second city of Alexandria and in the canal city of Suez.

Witnesses estimate that as many as 20,000 people joined the Cairo march on Saturday. By moving on the defence ministry they were challenging an unspoken "red line".

Even during the revolution in January and February there were only a few protests outside the defence ministry and the nearby presidential compound.

The protesters are angry over the slow pace of change, the continued use of military tribunals to try civilians and what they see as a reluctance to bring former regime officials to trial.

The increasingly aggressive response to their demonstrations just compounds their fury.

To protect the defence ministry the military blocked the road with vehicles and barbed wire.

But witnesses said the violence came initially from men in plain clothes who threw rocks and petrol bombs at the protesters and ran in from side streets armed with knives and clubs.

As the situation escalated, the army fired teargas into the crowd.

Gunfire was also heard, though it is believed to have been soldiers firing blanks in the air.

In a statement after the first march on the defence ministry on Friday, the ruling military council praised local people for forming a human shield to keep protesters away from the military headquarters.

But the opposition believe the military has revived the strategy of former President Hosni Mubarak's regime, sending out plain-clothes thugs to attack demonstrators, then denying responsibility.

The military council have always insisted they will not attack peaceful protests.

The army in Egypt enjoy a good deal of public support and trust, enhanced by their decision not to open fire during the revolution that unseated Mr Mubarak.

They also know that many Egyptians are weary of the continuing protests that block traffic in the centre of Cairo and other cities, and are blamed by some for harming the economy and preventing the country getting back to normal.


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[link to www.bbc.co.uk]