By John Ballard
Overshadowed by the Norwegian massacre, the death of Amy Winehouse and an ongoing Kabuki dance in Washington, masses of Egyptian activists continued pushing for governmental reform all day yesterday and into the night, staging a large march/protest, this time directed at the Ministry or Defense (MOD).
I gather from reports that the headquarters of the MOD is in or near Abbysiya which is to Cairo what one of the burroughs might be to New York City. I read several Twitter messages which reflected reservations about the advisability of this action, nevertheless tens of thousands apparently took part. Unfortunately the result was less than pretty, with rock fights breaking out as the main body of protesters surged down the main streets of what appears in photos to be mutli-story residential buildings with sidewalk-level businesses on the ground floors.
A heavy police presence and several references to protesters trying to persuade residents that they were non-violent makes me think the revolution is not as popular in this part of Cairo as in Tahrir Square. Activists were not welcomed and supported by locals this time. Here are a few links and photos of yesterday's events. Perhaps its just as well yesterday's news didn't have space for reports from Egypt. It would have been bad press for the Arab Spring.
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?Al-Ahram -- March from Tahrir to military council HQ attacked in Abbasiya
Abbasiya residents and alleged hired thugs have clashed with peaceful demonstrators in front of army roadblocks in the district.
According to Ahram Online reporters, the marchers were attacked from side streets and rooftops by people throwing stones, empty bottles and glass. The army fired shots in the air. Molotov cocktails were thrown. Rocks were then thrown from both sides. At least 145 people have been reported injured according to the ministry of health. The march was entirely peaceful before the attack began.
The army and the military police blocked the main entrances to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) headquarters in Abbasiya. The protesters were trapped between alleged hired thugs, Abbasiya residents and army barricades.
Later, Central Security forces and military police arrived from the direction of Tahrir, but were unable to stop the attack on the protesters. Molotov cocktails continued to fly over the protesters, injuring dozens and burning parts of the street. One of the explosives hit a car parked in front of Al-Nour Mosque, but protesters were able to extinguish it before it exploded.
Central security forces fired tear gas on protesters.
The military police later opened Al-Nour Mosque to the protesters, where some of them regrouped before returning to Abbasiya square to chant slogans against the army. Others went back to Tahrir Square.
Thousands tried to march from Tahrir Square, where a two week long sit-in is ongoing, to the ruling military council headquarters on Saturday, decrying the still unmet demands of the sit-in.
The military council issued a statement on Saturday blaming Friday evening clashes on the April 6 Movement, saying the groups took their orders from foreign interlopers. The accusation had the effect of strengthening earlier calls to march on SCAF on Saturday.
Some 28 political groups committed to the march on Saturday, both in defence of the April 6 Movement and in protest that the demands of the revolution have not been met.
?Guardian -- Egyptian protest march descends into violent clashes
Thousands of protesters trying to march to the headquarters of Egypt's military rulers have been attacked by groups of men wielding knives and sticks, triggering street clashes that have left more than 100 people injured.
An estimated 10,000 people set out from Tahrir Square in Cairo, but were stopped from reaching the military headquarters in the eastern Abbasiya neighbourhood by army barricades. Security forces also used teargas to disperse protesters.
Saturday's clashes came as tensions mount between the military council that took control of the country after a popular uprising forced President Hosni Mubarak from office and activists who want them to move faster in bringing former regime officials to justice and setting a date for the transition to civilian rule.
The military has appeared impatient with the pressure, accusing activists of treason, warning protesters against "harming national interests" and calling on "honourable" Egyptians to confront actions that disrupt a return to normal life.
The march coincided with the anniversary of the 1952 military coup that toppled the Egyptian monarchy and brought a series of military leaders to office. Bands of men armed with knives and sticks set upon marchers from side roads and in front of the barricades, triggering street battles.
Gunfire was heard, but it was unclear who was shooting. Some firebombs were thrown.
?Readers looking for "fresh" news can go to Twitter hashtags #MOD and #Abbysiya to see Top Tweets, and if you wait a few moments receive real-time updates, whatever Twitter can squeeze through up to ten or twenty messages.
Also here is a link to a bunch of pictures. Click on the thumbnails to see bigger images.
Notice all the red berets. Those are the police, nicknamed "Tomatoes" by the rest of the military because of their headgear.
?Big Pharoah -- My Account of What Happened � Camel Battle 2
Last but certainly not least, take a few minutes to read the Big Pharoah account of what went down.
He was there, took photos and writes clearly. This blogger is a treasure of the Egyptian blogosphere. Those of us who have followed him were thrilled when he returned to blogging in February after a three year hiatus. (See archives)
Here is one of his pictures and part of his commentary...
The call of prayer came out of the mosques microphones. Some people lined up to pray and there was a lull in the battlefield. As Muslims started bowing in prayer, Christians formed a protective circle around them as they did in Tahrir during the heydays of the revolution.
As soon as the prayer ended, the rocks and bottles came raining down again. People took shelter in the nearby medical university. Others went to the mosque which was eventually opened by the army. We later learned that the army closed the mosque and arrested those inside. I cannot confirm this piece of info though.
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