Egypt's Interior Ministry dismissed protesters rallying in downtown Cairo yesterday as “rioters.” The description came in the context of a press statement released by the ministry on Wednesday. Protesters have rallied since Tuesday to voice political and economic grievances. The statement quoted a security source as saying that the police were forced to deploy tear gas and water cannons on the crowd because it “insisted not to heed advice and warnings to abide by the law.” “Police forces exercised self-restraint to the maximum extent throughout the day but the leaders of this rally went further in attempting to incite hundreds of youths to clash with security forces,” according to the statement. Violence left 108 policemen, including 18 officers, wounded. The source went on to note damage to public and private properties. Tens of thousands took to Cairo's streets yesterday chanting anti-government slogans and denouncing the ruling regime. By midday, demonstrators rallied in Tahrir square in the heart of the city and vowed to camp there until the regime was changed. The police managed to disperse them by force by the early hours of today. Similar rallies took place in several provinces nationwide. In the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, nearly 20,000 took to the street demanding the departure of President Hosni Mubarak and protesting poor economic conditions. At least four people, including a policeman, were killed in clashes that erupted all over the country and over 300 were wounded. At least 400 protesters were detained, according a human rights advocacy group. At the end of its official statement, the Interior Ministry called upon the people to “be wary of the repercussions of inciting lay people and trying to open the door to a state of chaos,” a police source was quoted as saying in the statement posted on the ministry's website.
