Egypt

MPs, young activists plan to march to end downtown clashes

A group of Egyptian MPs and young activists decided to march on Sunday afternoon to the Interior Ministry in downtown Cairo to separate security forces and protesters who have been clashing since Friday.

The clashes erupted after angry football fans and activists marched toward the ministry to denounce security forces' negligence during violence at a football game on Wednesday.

A premier league match at Port Said Stadium between Egypt's leading team, Ahly, and the host team, Masry, had a bloody ending after Masry fans swarmed the pitch. Seventy-one people were killed, according to the Health Ministry.

The incident prompted Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri to dismiss Port Said's security chief and the Egyptian Football Association's board members.

At a meeting of members of the People's Assembly's Youth and Sports Committee late on Sunday, representatives of a number of political groups and youth activists said they intend to create a buffer zone between demonstrators and security forces stationed near the ministry. Attendants demanded that the People's Assembly remove Ganzouri's cabinet.

Security forces had built stone walls downtown following several previous clashes between protesters and security and military forces.

In November, military forces erected a wall on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, off Tahrir Square, to stop clashes that killed at least 45 protesters and lasted several days.

In December, security built two more walls on Qasr al-Aini and Sheikh Rihan streets to end more clashes near the cabinet area that claimed the life of at least 17 protesters, according to official statements.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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