Friday protests against Mubarak acquittal turn violent in Helwan
Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated protesters faced off against the police in the Cairo suburb of Helwan on Friday, the privately owned newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm (AMAY) reported.
Demonstrators were marching against the recent acquittal of former President Hosni Mubarak and his officials on charges of conspiring to murder protesters in the 2011 revolution. They reportedly chanted slogans against the police, the Armed Forces and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, while carrying posters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi and the black-and-yellow icon commemorating the deadly Rabea al-Adaweya sit-in dispersal.
Police forces tried to halt the protest by firing tear gas, and protesters allegedly responded by shooting fireworks, AMAY said, triggering violent clashes between the two sides.
Helwan has frequently been the site of violent confrontations between purported Brotherhood sympathizers and security forces since Morsi was ousted from power in July 2013. Last month, a homemade bomb exploded in a café near Helwan University, injuring six.
Protests were also dispersed in the Gharbiya governorate on Friday. Demonstrators identified as Brotherhood members reportedly formed a human chain on the road linking Basyoun Village with the cities of Tanta and Mahalla.
Police forces cleared out the demonstrators, arresting five people on charges of possessing pamphlets containing content critical of the military and police.
أخبار ذات صلة
Accounts of the Mar Mina church attack
How a gunman killed nine people and was chased down by a resident from the neighborhood
Helwan Fertilizer protesters cleared of thuggery charges
Residents of Arab Abu Said in al-Saff, Giza, have been cleared of thuggery charges stemming from a 2013 court case, filed by…
Back to the palace of corruption: Mubarak is freed
Ousted president to return to mansion his wife was accused of illegally acquiring
Mubarak’s trial comes to an underwhelming end: He is free
The defense was based on a denial that any violence had occurred
Your support is the only way to ensure independent, progressive journalism survives.
You have a right to access accurate information, be stimulated by innovative and nuanced reporting, and be moved by compelling storytelling. Subscribe now to become part of the growing community of members who help us maintain our editorial independence.
Join us