Anti-government protesters and protesters supporting Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak clashed in Cairo on Wednesday.
For the first time since protests erupted eight days ago, calling on Mubarak to step down, protesters in favor of the president showed up in the thousands on Cairo’s main square.
While at first only heated discussions between the protesters took place, the protest then turned violent with stones and other objects being thrown at each other. While some protesters chanted, “We are one,” the violence could not be contained, with many protesters being injured, reported CNN.
The police and other security forces were totally absent on Tahrir Square as thousands of people clashed, and soldiers standing on the sidelines did not move in to contain the clashes.
After seven days of virulent and sometimes violent protests, Mubarak announced on Tuesday he would not run for president in next September’s elections. Protesters in support of Mubarak are calling on anti-government protesters to go back home as Mubarak has made concessions already. Fears of a deteriorating security situation have risen among the people in Egypt.
Live video aired by CNN from Tahrir Square showed around 50 people on horseback and on camels plowinto into the crowd on Tahrir Square at 3 p.m. local time. Some were pulled down from the animals by apparently anti-government protesters.
In the city of Alexandria, located 126 miles north of Cairo, where thousands of anti-Mubarak protesters have also been protesting for the last eight days, there were also reports of clashes between the groups of protesters on Wednesday, one demonstrator told The Epoch Times.
After five days of cut Internet connection, Internet access was restored Wednesday.
With reporting by Laila Hassan in Cairo.
For the first time since protests erupted eight days ago, calling on Mubarak to step down, protesters in favor of the president showed up in the thousands on Cairo’s main square.
While at first only heated discussions between the protesters took place, the protest then turned violent with stones and other objects being thrown at each other. While some protesters chanted, “We are one,” the violence could not be contained, with many protesters being injured, reported CNN.
The police and other security forces were totally absent on Tahrir Square as thousands of people clashed, and soldiers standing on the sidelines did not move in to contain the clashes.
After seven days of virulent and sometimes violent protests, Mubarak announced on Tuesday he would not run for president in next September’s elections. Protesters in support of Mubarak are calling on anti-government protesters to go back home as Mubarak has made concessions already. Fears of a deteriorating security situation have risen among the people in Egypt.
Live video aired by CNN from Tahrir Square showed around 50 people on horseback and on camels plowinto into the crowd on Tahrir Square at 3 p.m. local time. Some were pulled down from the animals by apparently anti-government protesters.
In the city of Alexandria, located 126 miles north of Cairo, where thousands of anti-Mubarak protesters have also been protesting for the last eight days, there were also reports of clashes between the groups of protesters on Wednesday, one demonstrator told The Epoch Times.
After five days of cut Internet connection, Internet access was restored Wednesday.
With reporting by Laila Hassan in Cairo.
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