On February 2, 2011 hired thugs on horses and camels, some wielding swords and sticks, charged a peaceful demonstration in Cairo's Tahrir Square. The bloody battle that ensued between anti-government demonstrators and the thugs has become known as the ‘Battle of the Camels,' and it became one of the iconic images of Egypt's January 25 Revolution. The attack was a shock to Egyptian demonstrators, who had peacefully occupied the square for four days, ever since police forces withdrew from the streets on Friday, January 28 after bloody battles with demonstrators on what was know as the ‘Friday of Anger.' The night before, then-president Hosni Mubarak had made a speech insisting he would not step down from power. Over the past few months, many members of the now-dissolved but formerly-ruling National Democratic Party have been tried for their involvement in the violence. Many are accused of hiring thugs to attack the demonstrators.
