Despite deadly attacks, demonstrators participating in the Ministry of Defence sit-in refuse to leave until their demands are met, Ahmed Morsy reports "I'm not a supporter of Abu Ismail," Ahmed El-Husseini, a 28-year-old member of the Wasat Party, told Al-Ahram Weekly. "But I decided to participate in the Ministry of Defence sit-in." The six-day sit-in near the Ministry of Defence (MD), in Cairo's Abbasiya neighbourhood, was attacked throughout the week starting on Saturday night by unknown assailants using gunfire, birdshot, Molotovs, fireworks and cement bricks, according to eyewitnesses. The attacks resulted in 20 dead and approximately 150 injured, according to unofficial reports. However, official Health Ministry statements say only one protester has died. The MD sit-in initially began two weeks ago in Tahrir Square by hundreds of protesters, mostly supporters of bearded Salafi presidential candidate Hazem Abu Ismail who was disqualified from the presidential race. In Tahrir, their sit-in was held to protest at the earlier decision by Egypt's Presidential Elections Commission (PEC) to eliminate Abu Ismail from the presidential race following assertions that his mother was a US citizen, which would make her son ineligible to run for president, according to electoral rules. On Friday night, the demonstrators secretly decided to march on the MD in Al-Khalifa Al-Maamoun Street, protesting against the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which demonstrators say has badly mismanaged the transitional stage following the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak last year. They were stopped by army soldiers and riot police cordoned them 500 metres away from the MD headquarters. "We decided to stage a sit-in in front of the cordon demanding the abdication of the SCAF," Mohamed Habib, an Abu Ismail supporter, said. "For this reason, protesters from other revolutionary groups as well as others who are not associated with any political party or movement began to join us the following day," Habib added. "We are also objecting to Article 28 of the constitutional declaration and the PEC itself. In addition, we demand the sacking of the government and justice for martyrs of the 25 January Revolution." On Saturday, the number of protesters increased after dozens of youth activists joined the sit-in. The new group represented the Ultras football supporters and 6 April activist movement. At night, while chanting "Down with the military council", the protesters were attacked by armed thugs from behind, coming from Abbasiya Square. "The thugs went up to Abbasiya Bridge and attacked us from above firing at us while others threw handmade cement bombs in addition to stones and fireworks. However, we managed to force them to retreat towards the alleys of Abbasiya and captured four of them," El-Husseini said. The thugs arrested by the protesters reportedly admitted they were hired and that they participated in every clash with protesters including the deadly Mohamed Mahmoud Street violence in addition to the famous Battle of the Camel in Tahrir in February 2011. They were said to have been paid LE200. One thug was found to have an old ID of the defunct National Democratic Party of the former regime. "The attacks lasted until the early hours of Sunday morning without any intervention from the army or police while the numbers of those fighting the thugs reached 2,000 on the first day," El-Husseini added. Many familiar Tahrir revolutionary faces -- the influential 6 April youth movement, Kifaya, April Democratic Front, the Youth for Justice and Freedom, the Coalition of Revolutionary Forces, the Free Front for Peaceful Change and the Second Egyptian Revolution of Rage, as well as many independent activists -- declared their solidarity with the sit-in and joined the protesters on Sunday. "Local media criticise the protesters and continue to ignore the sit-in, portraying us as a group of radical Islamists and supporters of Abu Ismail, which is unfair. I wouldn't elect Abu Ismail if the PEC decided he could run. I think our unity in the sit-in adds to Egypt. The Salafis were with us in the Mohamed Mahmoud Street battle and [in front of] the Cabinet," El-Husseini said, referring to accusations that Islamists only fight battles that advance their own interests. "Despite the confrontations with the hired thugs which erupt everyday, and despite our various political affiliations, we are still referred to by the media as 'Hazem's sons'. We have always chanted against the military regime. Why do they call us the sons of Hazem now?" El-Husseini asked. Supporters of Abu Ismail taking part in the sit-in insist they are not protesting to seek his return to the presidential race. "Abu Ismail is not our aim even though I was about to elect him. But he is our proof that the PEC forged the candidates' papers, and that the SCAF is corrupt," Abdel-Rahman, a student in Al-Azhar University who visits the sit-in every day, told the Weekly. "There are supporters of Abu Ismail, liberals and secularists as well as Christians who participate in the sit-in. We are all united over one demand: the departure of the military council," Abdel-Rahman added. Abdel-Rahman also believes that Article 28 of the constitutional declaration should be cancelled "because it allows the presidential elections committee to be the superpower in the elections. It won't help us find remnants of the old regime." Amr Ghoneim, perennially on the frontlines of clashes, waived a long orange flag expressing his opposition to the chairman of the ruling SCAF Hussein Tantawi. Ghoneim believes nothing has been achieved since the revolution thanks to the SCAF. "Until now, not a single officer has been charged and every time court cases are delayed and trials postponed," Ghoneim said. "Our slogan since 25 January has been 'bread, freedom, and justice'. However, we didn't achieve any of them. "The parliament is in the hands of the military council, the Cabinet is also in SCAF's hands. The whole country is in SCAF's hands, so we decided to hold peaceful protests in the streets," Ghoneim added. As each day passes, the number of protesters increases. Even presidential candidates are visiting the sit-in in solidarity. "When I asked at Demerdash Hospital about the numbers of those martyred or injured, they said there were three martyrs. So, I decided to come here and announce my solidarity with the sit-in regardless of the demands of the sit-in," Khaled Ali, Egypt's youngest presidential candidate, said while addressing the protesters. "Political forces agreeing or disagreeing about the demands of the sit-in is one thing, but it being emptied by force, with weapons and thugs in bloodshed, is something else entirely. Anyone with a conscience should come here in solidarity so that the bloodshed stops, and thugs stop," Ali said on Monday at the very moment thugs began shooting at those standing over the entrances guarding the sit-in. Every day of the sit-in the number of injuries increases, a field hospital doctor told the Weekly. "All cases are taken to nearby hospitals. On just the first day, Demerdash Hospital received 25 cases with live fire injuries and around 60 cases of birdshot wounds. The following day, birdshot cases reached 120, but there were no new live fire cases from clashes. "Each day we have at least 40 new injuries," the doctor said. Away from the clashes, Mohamed Sadek can be seen every day standing in front of the cordon of barbed wire separating the sit-in and the armed soldiers, carrying signs with messages for the soldiers. "These soldiers don't have Facebook accounts and don't read newspapers so I'm trying to raise their awareness," Sadek said while replacing one sign with another. It read: "We are brothers and we don't intend to harm you nor the officers. Our conflict is only with your bosses whose loyalty is still to the deposed president" photo: Khaled El-Fiqi
