El Salam Democratic Party chairman, Ahmed El-Fadaly, denies taking part in the 2 February violence after being caught on camera mixing and relaxing with hired thugs as they launched Molotovs at protesters in Tahrir Square Ahmed El-Fadaly, the head of the Freedoms and General Rights Committee in the National Consensus, and chairman of El Salam Democratic Party, is being accused of participating in the attack on the protesters at Tahrir Square on 2 and 3 February in what has become known in the media as the "Battle of the Camel.” Last Monday night, TV host Yosri Fouda aired onhis popular show 'Final Word'on ONTV a video clip filmed on the night of 2 Februaryin whichEl-Fadaly appeared at the thugs' side on the 6 October Bridge. Fouda confronted El-Fadaly on air with the clip that showed him relaxed smoking a cigarette while thugs were throwing Molotov cocktails and attacking revolutionaries in Tahrir Square from the bridge. El-Fadaly defended himself on air claiming that he was there because the offices of the party and its newspaper were close to thebridge. He claimed that no one knew him, whether it wasthe thugs or the revolutionaries, and that he opened the Young Men's Muslim Association, which he heads nationwide, as a shelter for the revolutionaries, without the knowledge of the state security. Fouda asked El-Fadaly about the pin he was wearing in the clip and he saidthat he did not remember what it was and thatit was probably that of the El Salam Party or the Young Men's Muslim Assocation. According to some sources, the State Security officers and those who were involved in the attack on the protesters at Tahrir Squarewore pins to identify each other. In the studio, Fouda had those who filmed the clips. Shady El-Adl and Ahmed Khalil revealed that they were focusing on those men wearing suits during the attack, especially on the thugs' side, and that they did not know until later that the man they filmed in that clip was Ahmed El-Fadaly. Both El-Adl and Khalil work at Bokra for media production, media studies and human rights at Abdel Moneim Riyad Square, whichoverlooks Tahrir Square and the 6 October Bridge. El-Adl and Khalil stated thatthey saw the revolutionaries captured by the thugs transferred to the Young Men's Muslim Association HQ, and that one of their colleagues was detained by State Security officers in the same building as El Salam Party's newspaper offices. Both El-Adl and Khalil intend to submit on Tuesday their clips to the prosecutor-general's office. Activists and revolutionaries demanded that the prosecutor-general investigate the involvement of El Fadaly in the Battle of the Camel. Activist Fatma Abed called onlawyers and human rights centres to contact El-Adl for the clips and report the matter to the prosecutor-general immediately. According to Egyptian law, anything broadcast in mainstream media is considered an official report. El-Fadaly currently heads the Freedoms and General Rights Committee in the National Consensus. The National Consensus conference was held by the government as a way to hold a national dialogue over Egypt's upcoming constitution for the country. Last week El-Fadaly announced that General Sami Enan approved the idea of drafting a new supra-constitutional principles document that will underpin any constitution written after parliamentary and presidential elections.
