CAIRO: Dozens of Egyptian protesters have been injured in ongoing violence in downtown Cairo on Qasr el-Aini street leading to the iconic Tahrir Square. According to volunteer doctors at field hospitals scattered around the frontlines, the injuries consist mainly of tear gas inhalation, however many of those being wounded have “been shot by rubber bullets.” The violence, which is the continuation of the previous four days, increased in dramatic fashion on Friday afternoon, following anger over President Mohamed Morsi's constitutional declarations that activists say has left the country in the hands of the ultra-conservatives and silences those who fought for freedom during the January 2011 uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak. According to the ministry of interior's Facebook page, Minister Ahmed Ibrahim reportedly ordered police officers to be “patient” and “to work” with the different revolutionary powers. He also said on state television that no tear gas had been fired into Tahrir Square, where tens of thousands have gathered into the evening, saying they will not leave and have begun an open-ended sit-in demanding change in the country. The ministry said that police arrested 210 protesters, 85 of whom were transferred to the prosecution's office and are being held pending investigation for 15 days, and 45 under aged youth were released and had been given to the custody of their parents. Morsi, for his part, spoke to the nation on Friday afternoon as violence spiraled into chaos in downtown Cairo, telling the country that “thugs” were responsible for the violence. State television also reported that nobody was in Tahrir Square, which online activists said was the same tactic used by the Mubarak government on January 25, 2011, when protests that eventually ousted him from power erupted. Many believe this could be the beginning of a second uprising that is already demanding the end of Morsi's rule. Both makeshift hospitals inside al-Dobarah church and Tal'at Harb street both confirmed the arrival of people shot with rubber bullets. doctors said following an early evening attack that Bikyamasr.com saw 8 protesters arrive with rubber bullet wounds near Qasr el-Aini street, while doctors in Tala'at Harb said about 7 cases were reported. Bikyamasr.com encountered a mother in her mid fifties roaming the end of Sheikh Rehan street, a few steps away from the fronlines of the clashes, searching for her two sons. “I can't leave them and I can't go in to look for them,” she said in distress as more tear gas was fired at the protesters. “Is this the justice we asked for or is it the ramblings of a crazy man,” said the mother, referring to President Morsi's recent decrees.
