Egypt: Scores Wounded In Tahrir Square Clashes

Egyptian security forces used tear gas against protesters in Cairo during violent clashes that left scores injured, reports said. Cairo’s Tahrir Square was sealed off as police continued to fire tear gas into the early hours of Wednesday, AFP reported.

Hundreds of protesters had gathered there, witnesses said.

According to the Egyptian interior ministry, the incident started when a group of people stormed a theatre where a memorial service was being held for those killed in the protests that toppled president Hosni Mubarak in February. The group then headed to the state TV and was joined by hundreds who started to throw rocks before heading to Tahrir Square.

On their part, activists said the families of the victims had been denied entry to the memorial and were beaten by police.

The clashes erupted hours after a Cairo court ordered the dissolution of local councils, which were dominated by Mubarak’s National Democratic Party.