Egyptians lived through a rough night, beginning at 8:00 P.M yesterday during a ceremony held by the Ministry of Culture at the Balloon Theatre in Agouza. The ceremony was to honor families of the martyrs of the 25 January Revolution but security forces denied entry of a number of families of martyrs into the theatre. This caused the outbreak of a quarrel between the families and the security forces, and ended in a heated battle using sticks and stones. The police were able to stop 7 of those who started the fight, which resulted in breaking the main gate of the theater. The police then imposed a security barricade around the theater for security in fear of renewed clashes. A few hours later, those denied entry congregated at Tahrir Square and were joined by protestors from Maspiro. The police used force to disperse protestors with tear gas and the protesters retaliated by flinging stones at them. The number of troops from the Ministry of Interior increased after the arrival of a big number of citizens into Tahrir Square to support the demonstrators. The number reached 10,000 people. Security forces and 6 armored cars entered Tahrir Square to disperse the demonstrators. Police used a great amount of tear gas that resulted in the injury of 66 people. A field hospital quickly prepared doctors in the area to refuse sending injured to governmental hospitals. Doctors are in fear they will get arrested for recovering protesters but the increase in the numbers of the injured forced the doctors to send a few of the injured to hospitals via ambulances. The protesters tried to protect themselves from the tear gas by fleeing to the garden in the centre of Tahrir square and near the Egyptian museum. Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs, Dr. Adel al-Adewy, said clashes caused injury to 66 people, 52 of whom were given first aid in the square and 14 were transferred to hospitals. 10 of the injured were transferred to Munira hospital, 3 were sent to Ahmed Maher hospital and one was sent to Agouza hospital. Most of the injuries consisted wounds and bruises caused by flung stones. Al-Adewy said all injury cases are stable and protesters will leave the hospital once they receive treatment. The youth movement for Justice and Freedom issued a statement in response to the escalation of events in Tahrir Square, calling its members to sit in Tahrir Square. They call for trial of all those accused of killing and injuring protesters and the dismissal Mansour Essawy. They also announced the Egyptian revolution would be revived on July 8 in order to achieve the demands of the January 25 Revolution. Demands include issuing date of the Ministry of Interior and holding emergency meetings to discuss events taking place in Tahrir Square. General Mansour el-Essawy calls for citizens to remain calm and to pay no heed to rumors circulated by those who wish to cause a riff between the people and the police. From inside the Mosque of Omar Makram mosque via loudspeakers, Sheikh Safwat Hegazi calls for all the "real" revolutionaries to face the thugs in Tahrir Square who are trying to “destroy Egypt” after the court ruling dissolving local councils. Hegazy said all the martyrs' families returned home but one woman who was detained in Agouza police station, to be released quickly.
