CAIRO: Protesters across the country marking "Friday of the Martyrs" said that ordinary citizens are welcoming chants against military rule after the massacre of Al-Ahly football club fans in Port Said Wednesday, convinced that it was a plot.
"People who do not participate in protests are waving the victory sign to us while we chant against the military; this is historical in our province," coordinator of El-Karama Party in the southern province of Qena Ahmed El-Badry, told Daily News Egypt Friday.
"Two thousand protesters demonstrated today across the city to condemn the pre-planned massacre of Al-Ahly fans without being criticized by the people. This is phenomenal. We had lost hope of people’s support, but now more people are aware of the political repercussions of the massacre," he added.
He said that before, protesters used to be attacked and accused of "destroying the country".
Eight hundred protesters are camping in front Nagaa Hammadi police station to denounce the security vacuum in the city near Qena. One Coptic merchant and his son were killed by thugs when he refused to pay protection money.
"Protesters, both Muslim and Copt, discovered that those thugs are associated with police officers. They believe the Port Said massacre is a continuation of the police’s brutal practices," he said.
The carnage erupted when scores of Al-Masry soccer fans stormed the field after the end of a game they unexpectedly won against Ahly on Wednesday, attacking Ahly fans and leaving 74 killed and hundreds injured.
Many believe that this was a plot to destroy the morale of Al-Ahly fans who have been at the forefront of confrontations with security forces during and since the January 25 uprising.
Ahmed Medhat, a protester in Port Said where the bloody assault took place, echoed El-Badry’s words, saying that the province’s participation in the revolution was very minimal, but that the massacre riled up sentiments against the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).
"Seven marches, including over 20,000 protesters, were held on Friday to say that Port Said citizens are innocent and never participated in this massacre and to hold SCAF accountable for the events," Medhat said.
"Such a number is unprecedented in a commercial province that rarely took part in the uprising. Everyone from across the political spectrum including the Islamists, were chanting against military rule," he said.
Medhat said that 3,000 protesters headed to the security directorate but left after a while for fear of possible clashes with police forces. However, they planned to return to air a video by the "3askar Kazeboon" (Military Liars) campaign to expose violations by the military rulers.
In Damietta, the recent collapse of a high building in the center of the province killing 12 and injuring 32, added to the grief of the residents who came out in the thousands to commemorate the victims of both crises.
"There is clear support from the people as a large group of girls formed a chain across the waterfront, raising banners condemning the massacre received huge support from citizens. We managed to break the barrier against chants condemning military violations," activist Mohammed Mansour told DNE.
In Minya, about 250 protesters toured the city, but according to activist Amr Omran, the number is unprecedented compared to 25 in previous marches.
"Today I have seen faces I never saw on the street before," Omran said. "This is extraordinary, people are grieving and really supporting anti-SCAF marches.”
Activist Amr Osama from Tanta said the same, adding that people are no longer attacking them for anti-SCAF chants.
"The massacre changed a lot of wrong perceptions about the Ultras who organized today’s marches that reached 2,000 protesters. These are very big numbers to march in solidarity with them," he said.
"The massacre showed the people that our anti-SCAF chants were right," he said.
In Suez, where three Ahly fans were killed in Port Said, two protesters were also killed by police which opened fire on them, said health official Mohammed Lasheen.
About 3,000 people demonstrated in front of the Suez police directorate, prompting police to fire teargas and live ammunition, witnesses said. A third protester in Suez was in critical condition with a wound in the neck.
The chief of security in Suez, however, denied the deaths were by police gunfire.
The Interior Ministry urged the protesters in a statement "to listen to the sound of wisdom … during these critical moments" and prevent the spread of chaos.
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters marched from Al-Qaeda Ibrahim Mosque in Alexandria to the Military Northern District chanting against the military rulers and holding them accountable for the Port Said massacre.
After protesters camping in Victor Emmanuel Square ended a sit-in close to the security directorate, for fear of fuelling bloody clashes with police, thousands returned in the evening.
About 3,000-4,000 protesters surrounded security directorate and closed nearby Victor Emmanuel Square. –Additional reporting by Abdel Rahman Youssef.
