CAIRO: At least 518 people have been reportedly injured as police continue to bombard a demonstration against Egypt's interim ruling military government in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday. Police attacked thousands of encamped protesters with tear gas, rubber bullets and military vehicles, forcibly clearing the square earlier this evening. Protesters gathered in the nearby Abdel Moneim Riyad Square, pushing back toward Tahrir. They have reportedly gained control of the square again, gathering in numbers nearing 30,000. “The protesters and police are playing a cat and mouse game. When they open up space, people try to return and get back to Tahrir, but trucks have attempted to run people over,” said Joseph Mayton, Editor-in-Chief of Bikyamasr.com, reporting from the scene. “Police are just driving and firing indiscriminately, cornering protesters,” he continued. Protesters set two police vehicles ablaze in the clashes, chanting slogans including, “Down with the Mushir,” referring to the title of Egypt's interim ruler, Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi. Police entered Tahrir on Saturday morning, dispersing a small group of protesters who had spent the night in the square after Friday's “Day of One Demand,” demonstration. Friday's protest saw tens of thousands of participants, but only few decided to spend the night. However, crowds in Cairo continue to grow today as protesters fight to regain control of the city's iconic Tahrir Square, which served as the epicenter of the January 25 Revolution that toppled the government of former President Hosni Mubarak in February. Anti-government protests in solidarity with those in Cairo have reportedly broken out across Egypt, largely in the cities of Alexandria, Qena, Sohag, Assuit, Damietta and Mansoura. BM
