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| Clashes in Port Said |
Thousands of mourners have gathered today in Egypt’s Canal city of Port
Said while the protests and violent clashes still continue in the city.
The clashes in Port Said erupted in the night on Sunday, when the
protesters have clashed with the Central Security Forces after the CSF
reportedly started to fire the rounds of tear gas to disperse the crowds of the
protesters gathered in front of the CSF headquarters. The demonstrators have
been protesting against the decision to transfer 21 defendants accused of
killing the football fans during the terrible stadium disaster happened in Port
Said in February 2012.
It’s worth mentioning that the violent clashes with the CSF and the
protests sparked in Port Said after the anniversary of January 25 Revolution
when the Court issued the verdict for the 21 of the 73 defendants in the Port
Said stadium massacre. The people were angered by the death sentences issued by
the Court. The clashes left tens of people dead and hundreds injured and also
resulted in the massive campaign of civil disobedience which still continues in
Port Sais during nearly two weeks.
The demonstrators are protesting against the government’s negligence to
the region and chanting against Muslim Brotherhood’s dominating in power.
Thousands of those gathered in front of the CSF headquarters are also chanting
against the police as the CSF continues to use excessive powers against the
demonstrators.
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| Clashes in Port Said |
Sunday’s clashes after the attempts of police to transfer the defendants
to another prison located in another governorate left at least 5 people dead
among them three civilians, all of them youth, and two young conscripts. All
the five deaths have been confirmed by Egypt’s Health Ministry. The new reports
emerged on Monday that another man was shot dead during the Monday’s clashes in
Port Said.
The situation are expected to remain tense as the second round of the
trial in Port Said football massacre is scheduled for 9 March.
According to the Ministry sources over 500 have been injured, among them
nearly 300 suffered from the tear gas asphyxiation , 43 from the gunshots
(among them 4 policemen) and other types of injuries.
The clashes erupted again on Monday during the mass funeral process
while thousands of people have been mourning the deaths and carried the
coffins. The people have been chanting against police and also against Muslim
Brotherhood, the group from which Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsy hails.
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| Protests in Port Said |
There have been also reports that Egypt’s army joined the protesters and
clashed with the Central Security Forces as the situation escalated in Port
Said with some protesters attempting to set ablaze the police station and
throwing the stones and Molotov cocktails. The police fired teargas to disperse
the crowd; there have been also the reports about the gunshots some of them
have been from some unknown thugs, according to the reports. Army interfered,
but the Army spokesperson Colonel Ahmed Ali totally denied those reports in his
statement declaring that Egypt’s Armed Forces are called to protect the people
and order and the army soldiers deployed in the area didn’t clash with the CSF
but tried to stop the clashes between the police and the protesters.
Meanwhile the clashes continue in Egypt’s capital Cairo as the
protesters have closed the traffic in Tahrir again. According to the reports
police forces have been trying to disperse the sit-in which continues in Tahrir
Square since November 2012 after Mohamed Morsy has issued his controversial
Constitutional Declaration. Police reported that 69 protesters have been
arrested on Monday on different charges, among the thuggery, weapons’
possession, resisting the arrest and illegal assembly. Five of those arrested
have been later released on a bail, while all other arrested are being investigated
by Egyptian prosecution.
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