(File Photo)
AFP Photo / Khaled Desouki
Eyewitnesses reported on Friday night that members of Ultras Ahlawy attacked activists during a protest outside of the Ministry of Defence.
Thousands marched to the ministry demanding that former members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) face trial for their role in the Port Said Stadium disaster and the November 2011 clashes in Mohamed Mahmoud Street, reported state owned news agency MENA.
Taqadum Al-Khatib was outside the ministry on Friday night and reported that some of the Ultras attacked people who were chanting against the regime. He said that the trouble began when people began chanting against President Mohamed Morsi and the regime. “The leaders of the Ultras tried to stop these chants. They wanted to focus on SCAF only.”
Al-Khatib said some of the Ultras began to attack people who were chanting against Morsi and the regime. Al-Khatib was with Ragia Omran, a lawyer and member of the No Military Trials for Civilians (NoMilTrials) movement who was attacked by some members of the Ultras. He said that he was beaten when he tried to protect her.
Following this incident Al-Khatib and Omran left the ministry and went to Tahrir Square where the leaders of the Ultras came to apologise for the incident. He said that there would be a meeting with the leaders of the Ultras to discuss the incident.
One member of the Ultras said that it is very easy for people to blame them for occurrences such as this and that very few try to correct it. He also said that unless there is an event on the group’s official Facebook page then it is not an Ultras event. An event page was published on the group’s Twitter account but the page no longer exists.
The Ultras have repeatedly called for former members of SCAF, such as Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, to face trial over the Port Said Stadium disaster in which 74 Al-Ahly fans were killed in a riot that followed a game at the stadium in February 2012.
On 26 January, 21 people were sentenced to death for their involvement in the stadium disaster. The Ultras celebrated this verdict but say that it is only the beginning as there are still more sentences to be passed down.
Al-Ahly football club hosted a memorial on the anniversary of the disaster at the beginning of February. Flares were lit and balloons were released in memory of the Al-Ahly fans who were killed.
