Clashes Begin Anew After Egypt Army Had Earlier Intervened
- Posted on February 3, 2011 at 7:47am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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UPDATE:
CAIRO (AP) — New clashes are heating up again and shots are being fired in the air around Cairo’s central Tahrir Square as anti-government protesters push back regime supporters.
The two sides are trading volleys of stone-throwing, but government backers are falling back and protesters are swarming onto a highway overpass from which their rivals had pelted them with stones and firebombs overnight.
Soldiers, who earlier Thursday had separated the two sides and pushed back the pro-government side in an effort to stop the violence, appeared to be allowing the protesters to advance without stopping them. Gunshots, apparently being fired in the air, were heard, but it was not clear who was firing them.
Original story below.
CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian army tanks and soldiers cleared away pro-government rioters and deployed between them and protesters seeking the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, as the prime minister made an unprecedented apology Thursday for the assault by regime backers that turned central Cairo into a battle zone.
Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq told state TV that the attack Wednesday on the anti-government protesters was a “blatant mistake” and promised to investigate who was behind it.
The protesters accuse the regime of organizing the assault, using paid thugs and policemen in civilian clothes, in an attempt to crush their movement. Government supporters charged central Tahrir Square Wednesday afternoon, sparking 15 hours of uncontrolled chaos, with the two sides battled with rocks, sticks, bottles and firebombs as soliders largely stood by without intervening.
The military began to move with muscle for the first time to stop the fighting early Thursday after a barrage of automatic gunfire hit the anti-government camp before dawn, killing at least three protesters in a serious escalation.
Four tanks cleared a highway overpass from which Mubarak supporters had hurled rocks and firebombs onto the protesters. Soldiers on the streets carrying rifles lined up between the two sides around 11 a.m. Several hundred other soldiers were moving toward the front line.
Thursday morning, more protesters streamed into the square, joining the thousands of defenders who spent the chilly night there, hunkered down against the thousands of government supporters in the surrounding streets.
A sense of victory ran through the protesters, even as they organized their ranks in the streets in case of a new assault. “Thank God, we managed to protect the whole area,” said Abdul-Rahman, a taxi driver who spent the night in the square. “We prevented the pro-Mubarak people from storming the streets leading to the square.” He refused to give his full name.
The apology by Shafiq, who was appointed by Mubarak over the weekend, was highly unusual from a leadership that rarely makes public admissions of a mistake. His promise to investigate who organized the attack came only hours after the Interior Ministry issued a denial that any of its police were involved.
“I offer my apology for everything that happened yesterday because it’s neither logical nor rational,” Shafiq said. “What happened was wrong, a million percent wrong, whether it was deliberate or not deliberate … Everything that happened yesterday will be investigated so everyone knows who was behind it.”
The anti-Mubarak movement, which has carried out an unprecedented 10 days of protests bringing as many as quarter-million people into Tahrir, has vowed to intensify protests to force him out by Friday. In a speech Tuesday night, Mubarak refused to step down immediately, saying he would serve out the remaining seven months of his term – a halfway concession rejected by the protesters.
The notion that the state may have coordinated violence against protesters, whose vigil in Tahrir Square had been peaceful for days, prompted a sharp rebuke from Washington, which has considered Egypt its most important Arab ally for decades, and sends it $1.5 billion a year in aid.
“If any of the violence is instigated by the government, it should stop immediately,” said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.
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Evileye
Posted on February 4, 2011 at 10:15amThese people in the middle east ,especial bordering the mediterranean sea have been killing each other for thousands of years before Christ.
Report Post »There is nothing we can do to stop them. They will be doing it a thousand years from now.
We need to exploit our own resources here.
The US & Canada have more reserves of coal ,oil And natural gas than any place on earth.
Drill here. Drive gas down to $2.00 a gal,then put a fifty cent tax on it, and that money would be spent developing alternative fuels Nuclear, hydrogen. wind power .Etc.
Protect Israel and let the Rag head fight it out.
There is no hope of civilizing people with a biblical time mind set.
Stoning, beheading all this irrational behavior because some one disagrees with your Ideas of some mystical Deity.
ConsChristian
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 9:11pmEvery time I see a picture of the protesters, I see someone who looks like Obama. Hhmmmm….
Report Post »libh8er
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 10:27amWatching the live feed of this “conflict”, it is hard to tell which group is which.. I hope they have concealed rock permits….. Are their rocks registered?
Report Post »rdk
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 9:59amSo, all we have to do to get Obama to resign is to get one million people into Washington DC and have them chant “Obama must go!”. Is that it?
Report Post »mamawalker
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 10:02amSign me up!
Report Post »michael79
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 11:36amI’ve got some vacation time.
Report Post »donh2
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:53amNo our Obama slave media can’t give any legitimacy to the fact some Egyptians might actually support Mubarak …. that there might be large groups of shop keepers, and the like who are very angry with the loss of business and vandalism they have suffered by these violant riots provoked by Iranian jihadist Muslim brotherhood infiltrators and agitators .
Report Post »RobR
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:48amIt would appear Obama‘s ’ death to Israel ‘ goons offered the military more money / perks today, than Mubarak’s goons offered them to look the other way yesterday.
Darn, I was so looking forward to seeing Anderson and maybe even those two hiding sissies, Brian Williams and Ricard Engel venture out into the crowd again.
Report Post »CountMeIn
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:38amI realize that these kinds of events are difficult to report accurately with all the chaos going on but I am disappointed with the coverage on the ground in Egypt. Even on Fox News, they report the narrative that the pro-government supporters are disingenuous and rarely question whether the anit-government forces have ulterior motives. I realize that they are trying to stay safe by filming from their hotel rooms but what they are reporting seems to be little more than street gossip. I need someone to do more interviews of both sides though this is unlikely with all the violence going on. We may get the full story long after the riots and protests have ended and I think it is irresponsible for the press to jump to too many conclusions. Of course, that is what they do!
Report Post »DashRipRock
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:34amSomething tells me when the Muslim brotherhood first started
that it was a very private “dont ask Dont tell” kind of a club
then someone found out and now they have to go from
GEE Had — to — Jihad
Report Post »wethepeoplepress
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:17am.I would not doubt that America will be blamed for the pro Mubarak uprising. It will be called a false flag or another attempt of the West to keep power.
Radical Islam has been setting up for this for years and it will try and take over. The fuel used will be the resentment and hatred towards America.The hate will unite them just enough with the radical elements of Islam and alone with the oil money that will come rolling in in support of a Sharia complaint state, the Egyptians will be hard pressed to take the higher road and instill a constitutional democracy, it wont happen, ever…. Continent after continent will fall to Islam because people are politically correct and weak.
Citizens with moxy need to act as citizen reporters and do as Obama asked, get in their faces and ask questions, Look what happens to me when I ask CAIR Rep a few questions. In the below video I interiview a rep of CAIR, watch how they practice Al Taqiyah and use our laws against us. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwO1dipCGms
Report Post »trooper56
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:17amcould they be incouraging freedom of speach and freedom of peaceful assembly? Really doubt it,
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:16amI am happy the Mubarik spokesman has called for calm and apologized for the violence, I hope they will follow-up with their investigation, as promised, and we should pray for the people of Egypt.
Report Post »One burning question…..
When do we get rid of Robert Gibbs?
AzDebi
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:44am“When do we get rid of Robert Gibbs?”
Report Post »___________
Today would not be soon enough…wish he’d take his friends with him!
donh2
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:12amThere has been far more violance, looting and vandalism by the Jihadist muslim brotherhood street gangs , but Obama is eager to characterize efforts at restoring law and order as violance . What a dispicable man.
Report Post »Oldphoto678
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:25amAnd you wonder why the world lauphs at the US. It’s because of people like you. Idiot!
Report Post »tompaineknowsthescore
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:35amthe vast majority of the looting is being done by pro-mubarak thugs consisting of secret police and convicts that have been released to frighten the egyptian people
Report Post »encinom
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 10:36am@Oldphoto678
He is only parroting what is being reported by Beck and the rest of the “news” team at Fox.
Report Post »DashRipRock
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:10amOMG
Its snowing in Beaumont
hell is freezing over
Report Post »DashRipRock
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:07ammaybe they would just all settle down
Report Post »if we just sent them brochures of Canada
and it featured 72 virgins
tompaineknowsthescore
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:04amIts good the army siding with the protesters as the army is very secular. I dont think egypt will go the way of Iran in 79′ because in Iran the ulama had a much greater power due to the vast majority of Iranians being devout muslims. Egypt is different theres alot more secular and non-political muslims, the brotherhood is only the most prominent political grouping because mubarak allowed them to exist in order to extort money from the us.
Report Post »encinom
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 10:33amThe funny thing is that Beck is siding with those that are attacking the protestors.
Report Post »tompaineknowsthescore
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 10:53ami dont understand exactly what becks position is, i dont think he does either
Report Post »NickDeringer
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 7:58amWeakness invites attack, Professor O’Barry. It’s not easy waring the big boy pants is it?
These people are not interested in your vapid Harvard speeches.
They don’t care about your stupid Nobel Prize.
They don’t care about NASA.
They want to conquer the world.
Report Post »DashRipRock
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:04amThey wont conqyuer Teaxas
Report Post »we have way too many Mexicans
GeauxAlready
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 7:53am.
Report Post »The pro Obama crowd will need to be corraled by someone when we cut off their benifits.
Dustyluv
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 8:30amOhhhhhhhhhhhhh If only they would…But, the economy will someday crash and the tit sukers will be in the streets just like this because the Government can’t pay them anymore. It will be fun to finally see people wake up to what the Marxists really are and the vapid promises a Socialist Society has to offer.
Hard work, planning and a well stocked pantry are what you need now, cause it’s gonna get rough. Count on it…
Report Post »Mdems
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 12:10pmIm sorry, “fun”?? Do you really think it will be “fun” to see your countrymen killing eachother if protests like this one occur here? I dont care what their thoughts are on social, economic, or political issues: these are people and the thought of them dieing because of what they think should make you sad.
How calous some people are amazes me. Your no better than the Francis Fox Pivons of this world…looking forward to turmoil because it’ll be “fun” to watch is just as evil as calling for it
Report Post »GeauxAlready
Posted on February 3, 2011 at 12:39pm.
Report Post »It makes me sad to know they will riot in the streets. The uneducated masses in inner city America, you know the exploited ones who have suffered from decads of Liberal Soical Programs.