Sheikh Mazhar Shaheen, who gave the Friday prayers' sermon in Tahrir Square today, demanded that police forces should never set foot in the epicentre of the Revolution and called on protesters to organise traffic themselves.On “Retribution Friday” as the day has been called, Shaheen condemned “violations by the police in Tahrir Square after the January 25 Revolution”, referring to the bloody clashes that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Together with demonstrators and political forces taking part in the protest, Shaheen demanded swift trials for those responsible for the killing of protesters, especially ousted President Hosni Mubarak and ex-Minister of Interior Habib El-Adly.“The Egyptian people will only live in freedom, with dignity and pride,” he said. “We are all ready to be martyred for the sake of the Revolution's demands.”Shaheen also called on political forces to unite and put their differences aside for the time being in order to prevent “attempts to ruin the revolution”. Protesters throughout Tahrir Square are now in the thousands, holding various placards and banners, some demanding the resignation of Minister of Interior Mansour El-Essawi, others calling for the resignation of the prosecutor general for his “inability to achieve swift justice”, and others still denouncing Field Marshal and de-facto president Hussein Tantawi, accusing him of corruption. With Tantawi frequently targeted over the last few days in Tahrir, the mass protest is still on up to press time.
