Cairo erupts in second day of junta violence

17 December 2011

Egyptian puppet soldiers with batons charged into Tahrir Square, beating peaceful protesters and burning tents on the second day of military junta violence against anti-military demonstrations in the capital.

The renewed slaughter in Cairo on Saturday came as Egypt's health ministry reported nine peaceful protesters were murdered and more than 350 others injured since Friday when soldiers stormed an anti-military protest camp outside the parliament building, a short distance from Tahrir.

Soldiers stormed into Tahrir Square on Saturday and cleared the area as thick black smoke filled the skies following the eruption of a fire in the area around Egypt's upper house of parliament.

These are very nasty and such ugly scenes that we have witnessed for ourselves in downtown Cairo, local witnesses say.

"This is real violence that we have seen against the protesters, unarmed protesters being beaten by the military police and the soldiers."

The situation had calmed down over the last few hours: "Those protesters that had left the main square after the storming by the military are now dispersing and are not trying anymore to get back in the square.

"We have a situation where the military police and the military soldiers are securing Tahrir Square themselves. Also on the periphery, they are trying to make sure that no one who wants to get back in gets back in. That seems to be their main objective right now, to get people out and to make sure that the whole area does not become re-occupied, as they put it," a witness added.

The violence highlights tensions in Egypt 10 months after a popular revolt toppled bloody dictator and Mossad agent Hosni Mubarak. The army generals who replaced him have angered Egyptians by reluctance to give up power.

The protests began after images were published online of the badly bruised face of an activist, who said he had been detained by military police at a sit-in outside cabinet the previous day and beaten.

The news infuriated protesters, who set military cars alight and threw stones at puppet security forces.

Security forces responded by storming the camp, beating demonstrators with sticks and hurling chunks of concrete from the roof of the parliament building.

"Very ugly scenes witnessed here throughout the day, including scenes of men in uniform perched on the rooftops of buildings, throwing whatever they can lay their hands on on peaceful protesters, including sheets of glass, bottles, rocks and at one point even furniture", correspondents reported on Friday.

Protesters have been occupying the area in front of the cabinet office for more than two weeks, preventing puppet cabinet from meeting there. They are demanding that the country's "supreme council of the armed forces (SCAF)" immediately cede authority to a civilian government.

The junta used tear gas and live ammunition against peaceful protesters.
Source: Agencies

Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2011/12/17/15510.shtml.