By Tamim Elyan
CAIRO: Hundreds of protestors in Tahrir Square said Monday that they will continue their sit-in until their demands of prosecuting ousted president Mubarak and his family and appointing a civil presidential council are met.
The protestors also demanded the discharge of Field Marshall Hussein Tantawy, chief army commander, disbanding the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), releasing all political prisoners within 24 hours and prosecuting those responsible for Saturday’s violence.
“We want all who were involved in corruption to be put on trial, as well as those who used violence against us on Saturday and killed a number of protestors,” said Yasser Atef, one protestor.
Some protesters brawled with a dozen army soldiers in front of a building at the square but were prevented from attacking them by another group of protestors.
“The army squad arrived at the building upon the request of a company owner who found Molotov cocktails inside the building and asked them to come and take them,” said an employee at the building, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Nile News channel said in its 6 pm news cast that the military police had found 42 Molotov cocktails in the square.
Protestors had closed off the square with barbed wire and burnt trucks “to prevent the army from getting in”.
Brawls took place between a group of protestors who tried to remove the wires and others preventing them. Protesters threw stones on cars attempting to drive through the square and even forced an ambulance to return.
“We are staying here to continue achieving the revolution’s goals as the SCAF [is dragging its feet]. We want ousted president Mubarak prosecuted, a new constitution and a civil presidential council,” said Ahmed Moslem, a protestor who has been in Tahrir since Friday.
“The relationship with the army is getting worse and people are not accepting them because they resort to violence and now they have joined police in attacking us,” he added.
Two protestors were reportedly killed Saturday morning after the army dispersed their sit-in using force and allegedly fired live bullets.
The army denied it was responsible for killing protestors and said that no deaths were discovered when it cleared the square to enforce the curfew, which is now in place from 2 – 5 am.
Protestors claimed that dead bodies were hidden at the garbage bin, but DNE could not verify such claims.
Moslem said that military Special Forces attacked him with electric cattle prods while he was preventing protestors from throwing stones at the army.
Protestors and passersby argued over whether the sit-in should continue as some spoke against sparking a confrontation with the army.
“We all want Mubarak to be prosecuted but this should take place through legal channels not in 50 days as requested by the protestors,” said Saeed Rezk, a civil servant.
“These protestors, mostly teenagers, are practicing thuggery and I support the army in using violence against them,” he added.
Ahmed Mahmoud, a worker, said that he participated in the revolution since Jan. 28 but these protestors aren’t the ones he used to see.
“The leaders of the protests and the Revolution Youth Coalition always said that we will voice our demands without hindering public life and won’t hold a sit-in, but these protestors are thugs; it is enough to look at their faces,” he said.
Some activists said that homeless teenagers were taking part in the protest in Tahrir after seeing one of their friends killed on Saturday at dawn. The death couldn’t be independently confirmed by press time.
The protestors said that the coalition doesn’t represent them and that it wasn’t in a position to give them orders.
“The coalition is formed of 800 members who come every Friday and then return to their offices while we sit here,” Moslem said.
Burnt vehicles were turned into garbage dumps.
“The army burnt the vehicles and left us the barbed wire so we would close the square and then public opinion would turn against us and then they will have the excuse to attack us again,” said Mohamed Kamal, a protestor.
Protestors said on Friday that they would move their protests to Sharm Al-Sheikh to bring Mubarak to court.
