People attend Friday prayers in Tahrir Square in Cairo on 4 May 2012. (Photo: Reuters – Mohamed Abd El Ghany)
Protests turned violent in Cairo on Friday as the army moved to disperse protesters near the Ministry of Defense building in the Abbasiya district.
Troops pressed forward when protesters began cutting through barbed wire used to seal off the ministry building in Cairo's central Abbasiya district.
Soldiers fired water cannons and tear gas as protesters threw rocks. The Health Ministry said eight people were taken to hospital and Reuters reporters saw scores of injured protesters carried away on motorcycles.
Other protesters ripped down a metal fence at an underground railway construction site to build a barricade. Some cried "God is Greatest" as army helicopters swooped overhead.
Later the army fired teargas at the protesters, who retreated hundreds of meters from the ministry to a square, where they regrouped.
Thousands of protesters are calling for the end of military rule, days after bloody clashes near the defense ministry raised tensions ahead of landmark presidential elections.
"O Tantawi, good morning, this is your last day," shouted the crowd, and "Field Marshal leave, the people are dangerous".
Several thousand gathered in Tahrir Square and hundreds more were in the Abassiya neighborhood near the defense ministry, despite threats from the army that protests would be violently suppressed.
Others carrying posters of demonstrators who died during last year's uprising against dictator Hosni Mubarak made their way to Abbassiya, where army troops were stationed along barbed wire fences.
Friday's protest comes just three weeks before the country's first post-revolt presidential election, after which the ruling military is to hand power to civilian rule.
But protesters say they fear the elections will be rigged in favor of a pro-military candidate. Others say they do not trust the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to fully hand power to civilian rule.
"We are here to end SCAF rule. We don't trust them. SCAF is following Mubarak's example, and we want to protect the revolution," said Mohammed Badawi, a member of the Coalition of Revolution Youth, who came from the canal city of Ismailiya.
Another protester from the Nile Delta city of Mansura, Ahmed Gamal, said he feared the upcoming elections will be "forged."
"After the revolution, there should be an election committee with integrity. Instead they brought a corrupt one," the 22-year-old told AFP.
On Wednesday at least 11 people were killed in clashes that broke out when apparent supporters of the military rulers attacked a mostly Salafi crowd staging a sit-in outside the Ministry of Defense in Cairo, with activists accusing army troops of not intervening until after the deaths.
Earlier on Friday SCAF generals defended their record in power and repeated their pledge to transfer power to a civilian government within two months, with a senior figure saying "our hands are clean of Egyptian blood."
"We say it frankly and clearly. The armed forces and their supreme council are committed to the handover of power on June 30," Major General Mohammed al-Assar told a news conference. "We don't desire power. The Supreme Council (of the Armed Forces) is not a substitute for legitimacy in Egypt."
"Have mercy on the Supreme Council," he pleaded. "Our hands are clean of Egyptian blood."
Major General Mukhtar al-Mullah sternly warned protesters that if they try to approach the Defense Ministry, force might be used against them.
Political and pro-democracy groups are organizing a mass protest Friday near the Defense Ministry to demand that the military respect the July 1 deadline for stepping down.
"Self-defense is applicable against anyone who approaches a military facility. Whoever does that must endure the consequences," he warned.
"The Defense Ministry, all military units and facilities are symbols of military honor and the dignity of the state, those who approach them will have themselves to blame."
He met with Egypt's military ruler, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and said he "was crystal clear with me. He is very determined and very adamant that he and SCAF in full intend to turn over power. In fact, I think they can't wait. I think they are anxious...They want to see this election happen."
He added that they are even ready to hand off power before June, if a candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote during the first round of elections.
"I believe SCAF wants to go back to barracks and hand power to politicians," he said.
The military has promised before to hand over power by the end of June, a crucial step in a tumultuous transition to democracy after the ouster of dictator Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising 14 months ago.
The election is expected to be followed by a runoff between the top two on June 16-17 with the winner announced on June 21.
Al-Assar also said that it was "dangerous" for the protesters to stage their sit-in near the Defense Ministry and denied charges that the military was behind Wednesday's attack on the protesters.
He told reporters that the military, which took power after Mubarak's ouster, will ensure the integrity and fairness of the presidential election.
(AP, Al-Akhbar, Reuters)
Troops pressed forward when protesters began cutting through barbed wire used to seal off the ministry building in Cairo's central Abbasiya district.
Soldiers fired water cannons and tear gas as protesters threw rocks. The Health Ministry said eight people were taken to hospital and Reuters reporters saw scores of injured protesters carried away on motorcycles.
Other protesters ripped down a metal fence at an underground railway construction site to build a barricade. Some cried "God is Greatest" as army helicopters swooped overhead.
Later the army fired teargas at the protesters, who retreated hundreds of meters from the ministry to a square, where they regrouped.
Thousands of protesters are calling for the end of military rule, days after bloody clashes near the defense ministry raised tensions ahead of landmark presidential elections.
"O Tantawi, good morning, this is your last day," shouted the crowd, and "Field Marshal leave, the people are dangerous".
Several thousand gathered in Tahrir Square and hundreds more were in the Abassiya neighborhood near the defense ministry, despite threats from the army that protests would be violently suppressed.
Others carrying posters of demonstrators who died during last year's uprising against dictator Hosni Mubarak made their way to Abbassiya, where army troops were stationed along barbed wire fences.
Friday's protest comes just three weeks before the country's first post-revolt presidential election, after which the ruling military is to hand power to civilian rule.
But protesters say they fear the elections will be rigged in favor of a pro-military candidate. Others say they do not trust the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to fully hand power to civilian rule.
"We are here to end SCAF rule. We don't trust them. SCAF is following Mubarak's example, and we want to protect the revolution," said Mohammed Badawi, a member of the Coalition of Revolution Youth, who came from the canal city of Ismailiya.
Another protester from the Nile Delta city of Mansura, Ahmed Gamal, said he feared the upcoming elections will be "forged."
"After the revolution, there should be an election committee with integrity. Instead they brought a corrupt one," the 22-year-old told AFP.
On Wednesday at least 11 people were killed in clashes that broke out when apparent supporters of the military rulers attacked a mostly Salafi crowd staging a sit-in outside the Ministry of Defense in Cairo, with activists accusing army troops of not intervening until after the deaths.
Earlier on Friday SCAF generals defended their record in power and repeated their pledge to transfer power to a civilian government within two months, with a senior figure saying "our hands are clean of Egyptian blood."
"We say it frankly and clearly. The armed forces and their supreme council are committed to the handover of power on June 30," Major General Mohammed al-Assar told a news conference. "We don't desire power. The Supreme Council (of the Armed Forces) is not a substitute for legitimacy in Egypt."
"Have mercy on the Supreme Council," he pleaded. "Our hands are clean of Egyptian blood."
Major General Mukhtar al-Mullah sternly warned protesters that if they try to approach the Defense Ministry, force might be used against them.
Political and pro-democracy groups are organizing a mass protest Friday near the Defense Ministry to demand that the military respect the July 1 deadline for stepping down.
"Self-defense is applicable against anyone who approaches a military facility. Whoever does that must endure the consequences," he warned.
"The Defense Ministry, all military units and facilities are symbols of military honor and the dignity of the state, those who approach them will have themselves to blame."
He met with Egypt's military ruler, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and said he "was crystal clear with me. He is very determined and very adamant that he and SCAF in full intend to turn over power. In fact, I think they can't wait. I think they are anxious...They want to see this election happen."
He added that they are even ready to hand off power before June, if a candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote during the first round of elections.
"I believe SCAF wants to go back to barracks and hand power to politicians," he said.
The military has promised before to hand over power by the end of June, a crucial step in a tumultuous transition to democracy after the ouster of dictator Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising 14 months ago.
The election is expected to be followed by a runoff between the top two on June 16-17 with the winner announced on June 21.
Al-Assar also said that it was "dangerous" for the protesters to stage their sit-in near the Defense Ministry and denied charges that the military was behind Wednesday's attack on the protesters.
He told reporters that the military, which took power after Mubarak's ouster, will ensure the integrity and fairness of the presidential election.
(AP, Al-Akhbar, Reuters)
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