(Photo courtesy of Mansoura City Facebook Fan Page)
A number of protesters were injured on Tuesday in Mansoura, in the governorate of Daqahleya, following violent clashes that broke out between protesters and Central Security Forces (CSF).
Clashes emerged after CSF attempted to disperse protesters, who held marches across Mansoura for three days, calling on citizens to join a civil disobedience campaign.
Protesters marched across Mansoura, promoting the aims of the civil disobedience campaign and asking them to join the protest. CSF started confrontations with protesters when they blocked Suez Canal Street.
During the clashes CSF reportedly used extensive amounts of teargas, in addition to birdshot, while protesters threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at security forces.
Security forces detained tens of protesters during the clashes, according to state-owned Al-Ahram and Popular Current’s official Facebook page.
As injuries increased, the Popular Current office in Mansoura turned into a field hospital, where many injured protesters were taken for treatment.
A protest also occurred in Matariya of Daqahleya when protesters surround the city council building, expressing solidarity with the cities joining in with the civil disobedience. No violence was reported following the protest.
Mansoura witnessed similar clashes on Monday, where a few protesters were injured and 15 were detained according to human rights group All Egyptians.
Additionally, the Popular Current’s Facebook page claimed that members of the Muslim Brotherhood attacked protesters around the Daqahleya governorate building in Mansoura on Monday.
Abdel Meguid Rashed, Popular Current coordinator in Daqahleya, affirmed the claims, adding that members of the Muslim Brotherhood cooperated with CSF in attacking protesters. “The Ministry of Interior is becoming a tool for [President Mohamed] Morsi and his Brotherhood.”
Rashed did not know if protesters attacked CSF forces, but he explained that even if they did, CSF should deal with them in accordance with the law, rather than injuring them among other peaceful protesters. “The teargas bombs used by CSF are only used in wars. They are waging war against the people of Egypt.”
The Popular Current coordinator claimed that more than 100 protesters were injured during clashes in the past two days.
“We will continue our calls for civil disobedience in order to achieve the goals of the revolution, and we will never back down,” Rashed concluded.
