Egypt: Demonstrations Against Military At Port Said

The demonstration in progress at this time in Cairo as a result of yesterday’s violence in Port Said, at the end of the football match between local team of Masry and the Cairo-based Ahly, has turned into an indictment against army, police and the military.

“At least 50,000 protesters besieged the Ministry of Interior led by the fans of Ahly and Zamalek, the two main teams in the Egyptian capital,” says Fadi Awad from Cairo, an activist and member of the campaign ’No military courts’ .

“The situation is particularly tense – adds Awad – the slogans are all against the transitional government, the police and the Supreme Council of the armed forces. Even while the riot in Port Said would appear to have been launched by Masry supporters, the protesters are pointing the finger at the police accused of deliberately fostering a situation of conflict and danger. ”

Awad’s words reflect the contemporary criticism from various political parties and civil society movements in Egypt suggesting that the generals are quietly encouraging critical situations such as Port Said to legitimize their permanence at the helm of the transition process.

Meanwhile, the tragic events at Port Said have already taken the first political consequences: Prime Minister Kamal Al Ganzouri said he had accepted the resignation of the city’s governor, Mohamed Abdullah, and announced the elimination of the managers of the Egyptian Football Federation. Investigators have questioned about forty people and confirmed that the number of victims from yesterday’s violence is 74, while one hundred are wounded.