Egyptian protesters burn the US flag during a demonstration outside the US Embassy in Cairo.
Fri Mar 9, 2012 10:49PM GMT
Security forces have clashed with Egyptians protesting about US interference in Egypt's internal affairs near the US Embassy in Cairo.
On Friday, a large number of protesters, shouting slogans against the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the United States and calling for the departure of the US ambassador, threw stones at the security forces, who threw the stones back at the crowd and used other heavy-handed tactics to disperse the demonstrators.
Earlier, the protesters clashed with supporters of the ruling military council in front of the US Embassy. Dozens of people were injured in the first incident.
One of the main issues for the protesters is the fact that several foreigners accused of meddling in Egypt's internal affairs were allowed to leave the country.
Forty-three foreign and Egyptian activists, including 16 US citizens, have been accused of receiving illegal funds and running unlicensed NGOs in Egypt.
Egyptian officials said the groups were using the funds to fuel unrest in the country and are pursuing a legal case against them.
Last week, under intense US pressure, most of the foreign defendants were permitted to leave the country after posting bail. They were allowed to leave, even though a travel ban had been imposed on them.
The US had threatened to cut the 1.5 billion dollars in financial assistance it provides to Egypt if the issue was not resolved.
Protesters injured in clashes outside US Embassy in Cairo
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| Clashes between supporters of Tawfiq Okasha, and Tahrir protesters at headquarters of US embassy, Cairo, March 9,2012 |
Protesters outside the US Embassy in Cairo supporting the Egyptian military's crackdown on international pro-democracy groups clashed Friday with demonstrators rallying against the country's military leadership. Dozens of people were injured.
The issue of pro-democracy groups operating in Egypt has been at the center of one of the most divisive chapters of US-Egyptian relations in recent decades.
Egyptian officials alleged the groups were using foreign funding to foment unrest in Egypt and were pursuing a legal case against dozens of defendants, including 16 Americans.
However, Egypt allowed the American defendants to leave the country, effectively letting them avoid trial.
But the decision to lift the travel ban incited a backlash among many Egyptians, who accused the country's ruling generals of bowing to US pressure and meddling in what is supposed to be an independent judiciary.
The pro-military protest was led by Tawfiq Okasha, a staunch loyalist to the military leadership and a well-known TV presenter whose daily show has been banned for airing insults against pro-democracy activists.
Okasha has repeatedly accused activists of receiving foreign funds to destabilize the country.
Witnesses said the clashes began when pro-military supporters began throwing rocks at anti-military protesters who were marching to the nearby Tahrir Square.
Dozens were wounded in the clashes, according to Egypt's Middle East News Agency.
The square was the focal point of demonstrations that eventually led to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak one year ago and has been at the center of demonstrations against the military regime that assumed power in Mubarak's wake.
AP, Al-Akhbar
Uprooted Palestinian 
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