CAIRO: Police fired teargas at protesters near the Ministry of Interior Wednesday after thousands marched there to protest the deadly violence in Port Said the night before. Protesters responded with rocks and reported injuries in the evening, but the exact numbers was unclear. Throughout the afternoon and evening protesters remained in the streets leading to the Ministry of Interior chanting against the police and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). A number of protesters were taking down a wall erected on Mohamed Mahmoud Street last November. Seventy-four were killed when football fans of Port Said's Al-Masry attacked Ahly fans on Wednesday. In a heated emergency session, parliament blamed the police for its inaction and lack of preparation with some MPs accusing it of plotting the violence. Demonstrators converged from Ahly Club in Zamalek and Tahrir Square, following demonstrations throughout the day to condemn the violence. The victims' funerals in different mosques in Cairo turned into protests. In Alexandria, the funeral of 23-year-old Mahmoud El-Ghandour, founder of the Ahly fan club Ultras in the coastal city, turned into a demonstration in coordination with two other marches. Protesters gathered outside the military's North District Command in Alexandria chanting against SCAF. In Cairo at noon, thousands of protesters flocked to Sphinx Square, Mohandiseen, where athletes and sports media presenters were present. Protesters who gathered in the square blamed the security forces which failed to secure players and fans. "The security personnel were watching the riots and did nothing to stop them," Mohamed Haroun, a protester, said. Mahmoud Abdel Maguid said that these clashes happened because such matches are seen all over the Arab world. "They wanted to show that Egypt after the former regime is chaotic," he said. Helmy Tolan, former Zamalek player and coach who participated in the protest, said "This riot was premeditated against Egypt by those who have interests in destroying the country. I know that they were hired by external powers." He called upon the military rulers to expose those powers and entities to the public. Protester Sahar Gohar said that what makes it clear that the riots were predetermined is that security personnel gave their back to the field and closed the gates so Ahly fans would not be able to flee. "I noticed that while watching the match," she said. However, Said Mohamed believes that people and football fans are already charged against each other and that it was not the first time they clash. "If the security had interfered people would have blamed them for any violence," he said. Haroun added that there should be clear laws that identify the rights and duties of each entity. "These laws should be clear enough so that if an officer intervened to stop the riots he would not be blamed for the deaths," he said. Protests were led by well-known football players like Ahmed Shobeir, former goalkeeper of Ahly who called for the protest, Ahly players Shady Mohamed, Ahmed Shokry and Zamalek players Ahmed Hassan and Amr Zaky, along with Osama Nabih. Mortada Mansour, former head of Zamalek club, joined the protest leading his rival Shobeir to leave the square in a march to the headquarters of Ahly. As opposed to strong chants against Port Said and its residents at the Sphinx demonstration and Ultras-dominated marches, by the time demonstrators reached downtown their chants became more focused against SCAF. From the headquarters of the club another march took off heading to the interior ministry passing through Tahrir Square chanting against SCAF and demanding justice for the martyrs. "Either we get their rights or die like them," they chanted. Another group formed a public committee to prevent protesters from reaching the Ministry of Interior or the parliament through Mohamed Mahmoud Street off the square. "We agree with their demands but our revolution should stay inside Tahrir Square. If they flocked to parliament or the ministry they might be shot or security might attack them," Ibrahim Aly, one of the organizers of the committee, told Daily News Egypt. –Additional reporting by Amir Makar and Abdel-Rahman Youssef in Alexandria.
Former Ahly and national team goal keeper and sports commentator Ahmed Shobeir is at the center of a protest in Sphinx Square condemning the Port Said violence. (Daily News Egypt photo / Hassan Ibrahim).
