Riot police and protesters clash in "Friday of dignity" rallies across#Egypt http://aje.me/YfNYOX
Egypt protests turn violent
Egypt protests turn violent |
Thousands take the streets across Egypt in "Friday of dignity" rallies for Morsi to uphold the revolution goals.
Last Modified: 08 Feb 2013 20:17
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Protesters and riot police clashed in the northern coastal city of Alexandria in "Friday of dignity" protests [AFP]
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Police fired tear gas on protesters in Egypt as thousands took to the streets after opposition groups called for "Friday of dignity" rallies across the country demanding Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi fulfill the goals of the revolt that brought him to power. Clashes erupted in several cities and towns in the Nile Delta province of Gharbiya, where the health ministry said 28 people had been injured, suffering mainly from tear gas inhalation. Five people were also hurt in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, the scene of brief clashes between police and protesters. An interior Ministry security source told Al Jazeera that in Alexandria and Gharbiya protesters threw stones and moltov cocktails at a police station in Alexandria and other government buildings. "Thus the police forces assigned to protect the facilities had to use tear gas to disperse them," the source said. In Cairo, protesters made their way towards Tahrir Square and the presidential palace but petrol bombs and fireworks were set off and rocks were thrown over the walls of the presidential palace. Police warded protesters off into the large avenue flanking the palace in the upmarket neighbourhood of Heliopolis with security vans. Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros, reporting from Cairo, said that the capital was relatively calm compared to previous marches and to elsewhere in the country. The marches come after several incidents of police violence last week that caused public outrage and sparked angry demonstrations. "The people want the downfall of the regime," the protesters chanted, while others slammed interior ministry officials as "thugs". |