Tuesday night's battles between the Minister of Interior and demonstrators in downtown Cairo are meaningless, said political activist George Ishak during a meeting to discuss the incident that dragged on into Wednesday morning. He said the incident between families of the martyrs of the January 25 Revolution outside the Balloon Theatre in downtown Cairo sparked the problem. Ishak also denounced the injustice of ceremonies and charity events for the families of the martyrs, saying the state should deal with such isses. He said around 50 million EGP (U.S. $8.5 million) has been gathered but not yet distributed. Ishak's statements came during an interview on the evening talk show 10PM, hosted by Mona el-Shazly. Ishak also condemned the portrayal of events by the media, saying, “not everyone who is poor and dressed in a certain way is a thug.” Ishak said there is a sense among the people that those responsible for the blood of the martyrs have not held accountable and that those accused are still at large, which angers many. Ehab Youssef, Secretary General of the Association of Police and People, said the reconciliation between the police and the people has not progressed despite the passing of five months since the revolution. He said there is a need to rectify past mistakes while maintaining security. Ayman al-Sayyed, editor of Weghat Nazar, said public interest veered quickly away from those injured in Tahrir Square due to the football match between Ahly and Zamalek. He also accused the Ministry of Interior of not tracking a fugitive police officer who is one of those responsible for the death of protestors during the January 25 Revolution and who has been calling several TV channels for quite some time. Mustafa Al-Najjar of the Youth Revolution Coalition said there was a co-relation between what happened in Tahrir and the trial of former Minister of Interior Habib al-Adly and how public interest was more involved with the football match instead of those injured in Tahrir. Al-Najjar was very critical of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's government and the Ministry of Interior. He said, “I cannot believe that the ministry would attack protestors again in this manner. " He said the country is very divided and the only way to rectify this is through the trials of members of the former regime and by giving all those wronged by the regime their rights. Otherwise, he said, “the country will devour itself.” Ishak denounced this pessimistic outlook. He added that he rejects military tribunals, which he considers to be incompatible with human rights. He said which every human being has the right to be tried before a civil court.
