March Against Egypt’s Military Collapses Into Violence

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/world/middleeast/24tahrir.html?_r=1&ref=world&pagewanted=print

On Saturday night in Cairo the first major protest aimed directly at Egypt's military rulers ended in a violent storm. It is said that at least 25 people were hospitalized and 120 others were treated on the scene. This protest was following many other violent outbursts or "nocturnal street violence" that Egypt has had. This will probably not be the last and this just goes to show that the tension is high in Egypt and will probably increase steadily especially since the police force is still despised.

The protest started when thousands of demonstrators began walking toward military headquarters from the two-week sit in at Tahrir. They did this to show their dislike and malice toward change and especially toward thereorganization of the police. When they got to the last stretch of road the protestors/demonstrators were met with hundreds of soldiers and half a dozen tanks. They reached this barricade at around 7 p.m. and some of the younger protesters were armed with small arms such as knives, machetes, and even molotov cocktails. They started fist fights and eventually half a dozen cars were set on fire during the two hour street fight. Tear gas was eventually shot and many of the protestors left at that point not wanting to come under direct attack.

Now I have many mixed feelings about this article I definitely support the protestors for what their doing and I'm glad that their march was peaceful at first. However when you have a group of young people that are fired up about an issue and you put the government, military personal, or whoever they are rebelling against there is more likely than not going to be some sort of action if not eventual violence. As for the two-week sit in at Tahrir I think that is a wonderful idea and that the protestors should keep up with that. That is an extremely good way to get noticed and to eventually have your voices heard.