Affrontement au Caire – 1 septembre 2011

Protesters clash with army in Tahrir Square

almasryalyoum.com

Thu, 01/09/2011

Cairo’s Tahrir Square saw fierce clashes between army soldiers and protesters late on Wednesday after demonstrators made their way to the square’s central garden area, where soldiers and civilians hurled stones at each other.

The clashes started when demonstrators moved onto the square’s central lawn, which had been occupied by Central Security forces for several weeks. The protesters chanted slogans slamming the performance of the country’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). They also called upon the security forces to leave the square, chanting “Go to Sinai instead” and “They killed our brothers at the borders.”

The protesters were referring to the killing of five Egyptian policemen in Sinai on 18 August, as Israeli forces crossed the Egyptian-Israeli border in pursuit of militants who had earlier attacked and killed eight Israelis in Eilat.

The Central Security forces stationed in Tahrir Square failed to curb the influx of demonstrators, prompting the army to intervene and demand that the protesters leave. Some protesters tried to prevent clashes, while an army officer ordered the troops to turn their backs on protesters so as to avoid a violent incident.

However, when protesters rejected an order by another army officer to leave the square, asserting instead their right to protest peacefully, the officer instructed the troops to disperse the protest by force, sparking the violence. Read more…