CAIRO - Clashes erupted in Al Tahrir Square Monday between demonstrators, who vowed to stay until the ruling military council heeds their demand for civilian rule, on one side and employes in hundreds of shops in the downtown area who wanted life to be back to normal in Egypt's largest square. The clashes started when some workers in the shops began to remove barbed wires and metal barricades in order to let customers and passers-by walk freely, according to an Egyptian Gazette witness. "The demonstrators stoned the workers after they had an argument that the barricades were fixed to prevent any possible attack by citizens or any bid by the Army to end the strike," the witness said. The employes, most of them are working in travel agencies and clothes shops, shouted at the protesters saying: "You have damaged our source of income". "We will never leave until our demands are met. These demands put Egypt first and will benefit you," one protester told the angry workers. The mostly young demonstrators have been blocking entrances to Al Tahrir with barbed wire since Friday, when hundreds of thousands massed for one of the biggest protests since president Hosni Mubarak was ousted on February 11. The Army had announced the square would be evacauted but was keeping its distance since a failed attempt to remove the remaining protesters early Saturday. Rights campaigners accused the military of using excessive force. Medical sources said 13 men were wounded by gunfire and one civilian had died in the weekend violence. The continued occupation of Al Tahrir, a major thoroughfare, is also irritating some people in the traffic-choked city. "Imagine you have to drive for more than an hour to bypass the square. Sure, I feel angry with the protesters," said a motorist in Ramses Street, near Al Tahrir. About 20 military police approached one entrance to the square and demanded the protesters leave. Their call went unheeded. The protesters said their numbers would grow throughout the day as activists encourage students at university campuses to join them in the square.
