Violence rippled through Egypt’s Tahrir Square on November 19, a week shy of the country’s first Parliamentary elections after the toppling of the Hosni Mubarak regime. The clashes are seen as the worst in months with reports of two demonstrators being killed and hundreds injured.
Fridays have been marred with protests since the revolution began on January 25; however, November 18 was centered around the Islamic movement with conservative groups like the Salafis and Muslim Brotherhood taking part. Tensions mounted on November 19 as police began using force to remove protestors attempting to set up camp and escalated on November 20 when tear gas was used to disperse demonstrators descending upon the Interior Ministry building.
The military and police previously had problems removing Tahrir occupants, but an agreement made to halt demonstrations during the Muslim holy month in August kept many of the tents from reappearing. The police retreated from Tahrir Square early Sunday morning giving rise to a new tent city and stopping traffic through one of Cairo’s most heavily congested areas.
Protesting has included religious themes and the repeated calls for the resignations of key government officials which have included the former Interior Minister, former Finance Minister, and the Prime Minister Essam Sharaf. And now groups are calling for the resignation of Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) field marshal Hussein Tantawi. Protestor Ahmed Hani told the AP, “The violence [November 19] shows us that Mubarak is still in power.” He continued, “We have a single demand: the Marshal must step down and be replaced by a civilian council.”
Even if a civilian government is installed, the likelihood of continued protests remains. And while parliamentary elections are scheduled for November 28, it has been rumored that another delay will be enforced. If this occurs, demonstrations could take a more drastic turn than what was seen during the 18-day revolution.
Social media websites were a catalyst to the revolution, and continue to strengthen the Tahrir escapades. One Egyptian living near Tahrir Square used Facebook to post videos claiming that the police were aiming rubber bullets at civilians’ eyes and updates including the electricity in the Square being shut off around 4 am local time on November 20. Many are growing tired of what they feel is an empty argument taking away from the original movement. Another Egyptian posted from Tahrir that many were angry because of a reported deal struck in accordance to the elections between SCAF and the Muslim Brotherhood. The poster said, “…almost 75% of the people I saw do not know what’s going on.” The Egyptian said that the protesters were only looking to gain recognition.
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