Police in Egypt crack down on protesters
Source: Agencies |
January 27, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
Egyptian anti-government activists clashed with police for a second day yesterday in defiance of an official ban on any protests. Beefed up police forces on the streets quickly moved in and used tear gas and beatings to disperse any demonstrations.
Security officials said a total of 860 protesters have been rounded up nationwide since Tuesday, when tens of thousands turned out for the largest protests in Egypt in years. They demanded President Hosni Mubarak's ouster and a solution to grinding poverty, rising prices and high unemployment.
After nightfall yesterday, more than 2,000 demonstrators were marching on a major downtown boulevard along the Nile when dozens of riot police with helmets and shields charged the crowd. It was a scene repeated throughout the day wherever demonstrators tried to gather.
They were the latest in outbursts of political discontent in Egypt that have been growing more frequent and more intense over the past year. Protests have erupted sporadically over police brutality, poverty and food prices, government corruption and mismanagement, and more recently sectarian strife between Christians and Muslims. Parliamentary elections in November were widely decried as fraudulent.
Many in Egypt see these events as signs of the president's vulnerability in an election year. There is speculation that 82-year-old Mubarak, who recently experienced serious health problems, may be setting his son Gamal up for hereditary succession. But there is considerable public opposition and, according to leaked US diplomatic memos, it does not meet with the approval of the military.
Many protesters say they have been inspired by the uprising in Tunisia - even invoking some of the identical slogans heard in the other North African nation.
On Tuesday, protesters clashed with police, who used rubber bullets, water cannons, tear gas and truncheons to disperse them. Three demonstrators and one police officer were killed in the clashes.
The crackdown by Egyptian authorities has brought harsh words from European leaders, who expressed concern and said the events underline the need for democratization and respect for civil rights.
However, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not criticize Egypt's government - a key American ally in the Middle East - but only said the country was stable and Egyptians have the right to protest, while urging all parties to avoid violence.
Security officials said a total of 860 protesters have been rounded up nationwide since Tuesday, when tens of thousands turned out for the largest protests in Egypt in years. They demanded President Hosni Mubarak's ouster and a solution to grinding poverty, rising prices and high unemployment.
After nightfall yesterday, more than 2,000 demonstrators were marching on a major downtown boulevard along the Nile when dozens of riot police with helmets and shields charged the crowd. It was a scene repeated throughout the day wherever demonstrators tried to gather.
They were the latest in outbursts of political discontent in Egypt that have been growing more frequent and more intense over the past year. Protests have erupted sporadically over police brutality, poverty and food prices, government corruption and mismanagement, and more recently sectarian strife between Christians and Muslims. Parliamentary elections in November were widely decried as fraudulent.
Many in Egypt see these events as signs of the president's vulnerability in an election year. There is speculation that 82-year-old Mubarak, who recently experienced serious health problems, may be setting his son Gamal up for hereditary succession. But there is considerable public opposition and, according to leaked US diplomatic memos, it does not meet with the approval of the military.
Many protesters say they have been inspired by the uprising in Tunisia - even invoking some of the identical slogans heard in the other North African nation.
On Tuesday, protesters clashed with police, who used rubber bullets, water cannons, tear gas and truncheons to disperse them. Three demonstrators and one police officer were killed in the clashes.
The crackdown by Egyptian authorities has brought harsh words from European leaders, who expressed concern and said the events underline the need for democratization and respect for civil rights.
However, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not criticize Egypt's government - a key American ally in the Middle East - but only said the country was stable and Egyptians have the right to protest, while urging all parties to avoid violence.
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