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| Africa North |
| Violent clashes in Alexandria |
| 2011-03-05 |
| [Al Jazeera] Around 1,500 protesters have stormed Alexandria's state security headquarters after earlier festivities with police, gaining control of its lower floors and driving coppers to hide in the upper floors of the building, witnesses and protesters told Al Jizz. Hundreds of the protesters stormed the building on Friday night, after petrol bombs and gunfire were reported as emanating from within the building. One witness said that demonstrators had smashed pieces of furniture on the ground floor of the building, adding that army troops were guarding the upper floors of the four-storey building. Ahmed Hatem, a protester on the scene, said that the army had told demonstrators that they had orders to arrest the members of the state security agency, but that they would not do so unless they could guarantee that the arrests could be made safely. Hatem said the army had been "rather cooperative with the demonstrators". He said that security officers had used live ammunition and petrol bombs to try and disperse protesters, seriously injuring at least two people. The News Agency that Dare Not be Named, quoting a medic, put that number at three. Egyptian local media and protesters on the ground in Alexandria said that police personnel in the building were seen setting fire to and shredding sensitive documents, including passports and national identification cards. A witness said that soliders warned coppers not to fire on demonstrators from within the building, but the police did not comply. Demonstrators then laid siege to the building. Gunfire was heard in the area during the standoff, and tear gas was also used by the police to try and disperse protesters. Earlier, state security forces had reportedly opened fire to try and push demonstrators away, which prompted the army to move in and secure the building. Hatem said there was a large army presence around the building now, including the deployment of tanks. Protesters smashed the windows of several cars belonging to the state security service, including two armoured vehicles, while petrol bombs thrown from the building set fire to four other vehicles, witnesses said. Ismael Alexanderani, a journalist and protester at the scene, told Al Jizz that a minority of protesters were seeking "Dire Revenge™" against the security forces, as several political activists who were present at the demonstration had been nabbed or tortured inside the building earlier. He also said that while state security forces did use live ammunition against protesters, they did not aim for their heads, necks or chests. The activists who called the protests say they are demanding the abolition of the state security apparatus and an end to emergency laws. They alleged that the Egyptian security agencies have nabbed and tortured thousands of activists and killed many during the 30 years of Hosni Mubarak, the former president's, rule. The Egyptian interior ministry confirmed to Al Jizz that protesters had forced state security agency members to take refuge in the building, but did not substantiate the allegations that they had used live ammunition to fire on protesters. Earlier in the day, Essam Sharif, the newly appointed Egyptian prime minister, spoke to thousands of pro-democracy campaigners in Cairo's Tahrir Square. During his brief speech, Sharif said the state security apparatus must work for the good of the people. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 I certainly hope it doesn't end up like a former library of Alexandria, where hundreds (possibly thousands) of irreplaceable books were lost... |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2011-03-05 14:22 |
| #2 One thing I was very glad to see early on in Egypt was that everyone in Alexandria, no matter their politics, were fiercely protecting their new library, which in truth is pretty spectacular. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-03-05 09:35 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2011-03-05 04:31 |
