By Zach Waksman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
CAIRO, Egypt – The Tahrir Square protests against Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) that have been ongoing since July 8 took a violent turn yesterday. Military forces, supplemented by army loyalists who threw stones and Molotov cocktails, opened fire on demonstrators as they made their way toward the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense in Cairo’s Abbasseya district. As many as 231 were injured, and two protesters are alleged to have been kidnapped.
At least 4,000 people were marching in order to request a clear schedule of plans to fulfill the goals of the revolution that drove former president Hosni Mubarak from power in January. They are calling for limits on the SCAF’s power and a purge of all government and state institutions, including banks and the media, of corrupt members of the previous regime, among other demands. But right now, the concern among those present is that the revolution has stalled.
“The military council is against the revolution, and we’re here to put pressure on them to stay with the revolution,” said Ahmed Al-Sharawi, who has been camping out in a traffic circle for over two weeks. “If we go home, the revolution will fail.”
The activists were unable to reach their destination after the army set up barricades of troops, barbed wire, and tanks to block Abbasseya Bridge. The military surrounded the area, doing nothing to interfere and also making departure impossible. While the army fired live rounds in an effort to disperse the crowd, civilian loyalists climbed onto the roofs of nearby buildings to throw rocks, broken bottles, and Molotov cocktails at the assembled crowd. Others, some of whom were armed with knives and machetes, made direct attacks on the protesters. This march, unlike prior, peaceful protests, soon turned into a melee that lasted two hours before riot police fired tear gas into the fray. Once the activists scattered, a new demonstration began within an hour.
The incident comes on the aftermath of statements made by the SCAF on Friday. The military council accused the April 6 group, one of the larger protest organizations, of creating a scism between itself and the public. “The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces urges the public to exercise caution and not to be drawn into this suspicious plot that aims to undermine Egypt’s stability,” the statement said.
But statements such as these are not taken seriously by the protesters. One participant, Ahmed Hassan, considered the SCAF to be the problem by acting as an instigator of violence. “How should I trust this army to protect our country when they are turning our own fellow Egyptians against us with statements like these?” he asked.
Despite the recent bloodshed, protesters remain strong. “We don’t want food or money,” said Al-Sharawi. “If we get all of our demands, Egypt will be richer than America. The National Association for Change (NAC), another protest organization, has called for a one million man march on August 12.
For more information, please see:
Egyptian Gazette — Egypt’s protesters still camped in Square –24 July 2011
Egyptian Gazette — 1m-man march in Egypt on Aug 12 –24 July 2011
Al-Masry Al-Youm — 143 hurt at clashes in Cairo, two activists reportedly kidnapped — 23 July 2011
Daily News Egypt — Armed men attack thousands marching to ministry of defense; 55 injured — 23 July 2011
Daily News Egypt — Protesters march on defense ministry — 23 July 2011
New York Times — March against Egypt’s Military Collapses into Violence — 23 July 2011
Impunity Watch — Protests continue as new government takes shape in Egypt — 17 July 2011
