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    November 21, 2011

Egyptian Security Forces Clash with Activists in Cairo for 3rd Day

   Forces fire tear gas at protesters after deadly clashes Sunday

   VOA News
   Protests overnight in Cairo
   Photo: AP
   Protests overnight in Cairo

   Egyptian security forces have confronted anti-government activists in
   Cairo's Tahrir Square for a third day as part of a crackdown on
   nationwide protests in which at least 13 people have been killed.
   Security forces fired tear gas early Monday to try to clear
   demonstrators from Tahrir Square, where the activists had camped for a
   third consecutive night. Police and troops had briefly dispersed the
   protesters Sunday by firing tear gas and rubber bullets, but the
   activists retook the square later in the day. Similar confrontations
   erupted Sunday in the cities of Alexandria and Suez.
   Authorities said Sunday's crackdowns on protests killed at least 11
   people. Another two protesters were killed Saturday. Hundreds of people
   have been hurt, some with eye injuries from rubber bullets.
   Many of the demonstrators have been chanting "The people want to topple
   the field marshal," a reference to Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, leader of
   the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that took power in February
   when a popular uprising ousted autocratic President Hosni Mubarak.
   The activists accuse the military council of not moving quickly enough
   to return Egypt to civilian rule. They also have criticized the council
   for setting guidelines for a new constitution that would keep some
   military affairs beyond civilian control. The activists also want the
   military rulers to stop putting civilians on trial in military courts.
   Egypt's military-backed government held an emergency meeting Sunday and
   promised to begin staggered parliamentary elections as planned on
   November 28. Some opposition activists accuse the military council of
   provoking the violence as a pretext for postponing the elections and
   extending their tenure.
   The protest-related violence began early Saturday as police moved into
   Tahrir Square to remove hundreds of people who camped on the site after
   a mass anti-government rally Friday.

   Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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