Minor clashes broke out between protesters and armed men in Alexandria on Saturday, during a march held by protesters in solidarity with the Mansoura resident who was crushed by a Central Security Forces (CSF) vehicle on Friday.
Hundreds of protesters were marching towards Alexandria’s local city council in the Kom El-Dekka district, where they planned to hold a protest, when several men attacked them with knives and fireworks, leaving some injured.
Mostafa El-Sheikh, spokesperson for the Kefaya Movement in Alexandria, said large numbers of CSF were patrolling the street leading to the local city council. He added that armed men approached and attacked protesters with knives and fireworks as they came closer to the council. El-Sheikh claimed the men are well-known for their cooperation with security forces. “Security forces have always used those thugs to disperse protesters and attack them. They are the regime thugs.”
Two protesters were injured and received treatment immediately, while the remaining protesters fell back, ending their march. El-Sheikh explained that protesters receded because they did not want the situation to escalate and feared further casualties.
El-Sheikh added that some protesters are considering filing a complaint against the men that attacked them and a complaint to the CSF for not preventing the attack.
Hossam Abdallah Abdel Azeem, a 35 year old resident of Mansoura, was on his way to visit his wife’s family when a CSF vehicle struck him during clashes between CSF and protesters on Friday night. Abdel Azeem was transferred to Mansoura International Hospital, where he died a few hours later.
