Police disperse separate Way of Revolution Front, Brotherhood marches

Ahram Online, Saturday 25 Jan 2014

2 separate marches, one for Brotherhood and another opposed to both military and Brotherhood, dispersed by police in Cairo's Mohandiseen district on 3rd anniversary of January revolution; another protest dispersed in Maadi

Tear gas
Egypt police fire teargas at separate Way of Revolution Front, Muslim Brotherhood marches from Mostafa Mahmoud Mosque to Tahrir Square (Photo: Injy)

Police fired tear gas and birdshot to disperse two separate marches heading from Mostafa Mahmoud Mosque to Tahrir Square, according to an Ahram Online reporter on the scene.

A pro-Muslim Brotherhood march and a distinct Way of the Revolution Front march gathered separately in front of the mosque in preparations for marches to Tahrir Square.

The Way of the Revolution Front, which opposes both the Brotherhood and the military, called for a march from outside the mosque in the Mohandiseen district and another one from outside the Journalists' Syndicate in downtown Cairo.

The Brotherhood announced on Saturday that it will lead marches from more than 30 different places in Greater Cairo.

The Front is a coalition of political parties such as Strong Egypt Party, 6 April (Democratic Front), Ahmed Maher's 6 April Youth Movement, the No to Military Trials Movement, the Revolutionary Socialists, as well as other groups.

Khaled Daoud, media coordinator for the Constitution Party, was at the scene of the Mostafa Mahmoud demonstration which was dispersed by security forces.

He told Ahram Online that pro-Brotherhood supporters raised the four-fingered Rabaa sign, which provoked other protesters at the site who were both anti-military and anti-Brotherhood, leading to angry verbal exchanges between the two groups. Police then fired teargas and bird shot and cleared the scene of all protesters.

He added that many of the protesters then went to join the demonstration which was set to head from the Journalists' Syndicate in downtown to Tahrir.

Daoud said today's protests were important to "stress that the goals of the revolution have not been met and that people will continue demanding them."

At the Journalists' Syndicate, demonstrators chanted against the current regime and Egypt's top military leader General Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, as well as against the Brotherhood "who betrayed" the ideals of the revolution.

Only meters away in Ramses Street, a steady stream of people flowed past holding Egyptian flags and El-Sisi posters as they made their way to Tahrir Square to take part in pro-interim government celebrations.

Meanwhile, according to Ahram journalist Karem Yehia, a Way of the Revolution march in the southern Maadi district was chanting against the Brotherhood and waving white flags with pictures of martyrs when the demonstrators were attacked by another pro-military march holding aloft posters of Egypt's top army leader General Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

Police arrived soon after and dispersed the march, arresting an unconfirmed number of protesters.

Short link: