Egypt Protesters Dispersed By Military Using Tasers And Batons

April 9, 2011 6:16:02 AM

By Patrick Werr and Dina Zayed

CAIRO, April 9 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Egyptians defied soldiers who tried to disperse them overnight from Cairo's Tahrir Square and vowed on Saturday to keep protesting until former President Hosni Mubarak was tried and other demands met.

Some demonstrators, angry at the army's use of tasers and batons to try to drive them out of Tahrir, hurled rocks at a burning army bus and truck. Gunshots had echoed around the square during the night as the army sought to clear the area.

After a protest by hundreds of thousands of Egyptians during the day on Friday, the army surrounded the Tahrir after curfew, set from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m., to push out those who remained.

On Saturday morning, hundreds were still left in the rock- strewn square. Protesters showed off casings of live rounds they said were used overnight. One demonstrator pointed to a pool of blood.

Bundles of barbed wire, apparently brought out to use as cordons, lay unused on the ground. There was no sign of the army around the square early on Saturday.

"Thank God, we resisted them (the army), and we are still here," said one protester in Tahrir, which was the epicentre of demonstrations that pushed Mubarak out on Feb. 11 after 30 years in office. Egypt is now run by a military council.

Mubarak and his family are banned from leaving Egypt. The former president, 82, is in internal exile in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The military has enjoyed broad support since it took control of the country on Feb. 11, but complaints against its rule are growing. Attention is now focused on the perceived tardiness of legal measures against Mubarak and his entourage.

"We will stay here until Mubarak is brought to trial," said Mahmoud Salama, who works in a tourist agency, speaking in Tahrir.

Many ordinary Egyptians, however, are tired of the protests that have hurt the economy and want an end to the disruption.

Speaking overnight from the square, Mohamed Fahmy, 29, said: "They are moving in on us with very aggressive force, I can see people running in every direction."

The sound of gun shots resounded as he spoke. He said they were fired into the air.

"Why is the army beating us? Why is the army firing at us?" chanted protesters overnight, according to one witness.

The military had forcibly dispersed protesters before from Tahrir Square. In that case, the military apologised the next day, saying there had been no order to assault the protesters and called the incident unintentional.

(Writing by Edmund Blair; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[loOranks]

09:58 AM on 04/18/2011

Why isn't the HuffPo reporting on the demonstrations in South Egypt against the appointment of a Christian Governor?

"Muslims in southern Egypt protested for a third day on Sunday over the appointment of a Christian governor, saying his predecessor, also a Christian, had failed to solve their problems."
http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE73G0CH20110417?sp=true

[Bernique]

05:22 PM on 04/10/2011

I wonder where the Egyptian authorities got the idea that tasering citizens will bring peace. Whoever produces the tasers saw a golden business opportunity.

Disgusting.

[kickinupdust]

04:37 PM on 04/10/2011

Be careful what you ask for.

[xMoonWalkerx]

03:54 PM on 04/10/2011

And I thought that the democracy won with the exit of Mubarak ? No actually I didn't. I said earlier that the democracy transition is in the half of the first stage and there are three more stages to go.

[melchar]

12:50 PM on 04/10/2011

Any population foolish enuf to replace a politician with a soldier when it comes to governance deserve exactly what they eventually get.

[Jessen Joseph]

01:05 PM on 04/10/2011

How would you feel if others described the U.S population as foolish enough for not expecting something like 9/11 to happen after their government's history in world affairs ever since WWII?

[rightstroke]

03:01 PM on 04/10/2011

wow blame the victim...muslims attacked and blew up our buildings

[rightstroke]

11:08 PM on 04/10/2011

turkey has done it several times and it has worked

[Torrentlover]

09:53 AM on 04/10/2011

Nato will declare a no fly zone in 5,4,3,2... ;-)

[ALiberalKidd]

04:45 AM on 04/10/2011

Long as the Egyptian people keep allowing Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman, John McCain etc... to come into their country and scheme with Egypt military, them the Egyptian people will never taste real freedom.

Moreover, where is Mr Obama's condemnation.

[GZLives]

06:31 PM on 04/10/2011

If it were only that simple.
Why not start out with the fact that the NDP ... military and affiliated politicians, own more then 30% of the Egyptian economy.
Do you really think any of them will just walk away without a real fight?

[david5000]

03:47 AM on 04/10/2011

All the cheerleaders were all hyped up about the new found democracy not knowing it was orchestrated by our famous agency responsible for the dirty wars in Latin America.

They must be feeling duped into believing that the people combusted spontaneously and ran to la Bastille to get the king.

[aisabri]

04:16 AM on 04/10/2011

You follow the cheerleaders, others follow the play.

Whatever the role(s) of famous and infamous agencies, this game still has a way to go.

[david5000]

04:19 AM on 04/10/2011

Time stand still for the fools on the stationary bikes. they keep running to nowhere.

[GZLives]

06:33 PM on 04/10/2011

Orchestrated?
Don't think so
Had you been reading what was coming out of Egypt from younger people writing/blogging on line, you'd have known it was only a matter of time

[chubber]

03:14 AM on 04/10/2011

Isn't it good to know that this is the force we put in power?

[Rubiconski]

02:48 AM on 04/10/2011

Send in Hillary...she'll calm 'em down.

[Torrentlover]

09:55 AM on 04/10/2011

She'll scare them with her canckles.

[rightstroke]

03:02 PM on 04/10/2011

only in your warped mind

[rissole]

12:23 AM on 04/10/2011

Are these the same military that Hillary Clinton went to Cairo to meet with after Mubarak was overthrown?

[david5000]

03:51 AM on 04/10/2011

Mubarak was sent to early retirement, the man was almost mummified in the presidential palace.

Now the US will have to bend over and call up on him to stop the new war between Hamas and Israel.

Nobody's like an experienced hand to avert a meltdown in this dangerous reactor called the middle east.

[structurequity]

11:30 PM on 04/09/2011

To think that the military was given a pass by hopeful citizenry, what next but full blown revolution, a chaos of unstructured anarchy until some strong armed war lord takes over... of course is that any different then now?

[duxguts]

11:24 PM on 04/09/2011

Out with the old, in with the new.

[Cannonball Taffy O Jones]

11:19 PM on 04/09/2011

The Egyptian people settled for replacing Mubarak with the soldiers he picked, promoted and lavishly rewarded after foolishly swallowing the lie that the army was ‘on their side’.
 
Now they will pay the price for their naiveté.