Analysts and activists say the clashes, which lasted for several hours on Saturday night and injured scores of people, mark a deterioration in a relationship that has come under mounting strain in recent weeks.
Several thousand activists from a spectrum of political groups had organised the march to press the military council to speed up trials of officials accused of killing 850 demonstrators during the revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak, former president, this year.
But a day before the march, the military accused April 6, one of the youth groups that launched the uprising against Mr Mubarak, of seeking to turn people against the army. In language reminiscent of the Mubarak regime, a senior army general was quoted as saying the group had received training abroad to subvert the state.
The council has also urged “honourable Egyptians” to confront actions that disrupt the return to normal life.
“I think we have reached a turning point,” said Emad Gad, a political analyst and official of the Social Democratic party. “I am afraid we would go back to the situation before the revolution.We are living a similar moment. There is general tension and large sections of the population are ready to confront anyone who calls for a protest or a sit-in.”
Salma Said, a pro-democracy activist, said that after the “treason” allegations against April 6, “anything could happen, from a wave of arrests of activists which they can now justify, to attempts to fragment the revolutionary movement”.
It is not clear who attacked the protesters, but Ms Said and others say troops blocked a road and stood by while assailants armed with knives, stones and fire bombs fought running battles with protesters.
Under pressure from demonstrators camped in Tahrir Square, the prime minister has reshuffled his cabinet to bring in ministers with no ties to the Mubarak regime and promised faster trials for officials charged with corruption and killings.
The trial of Mr Mubarak on murder and corruption charges starts on August 3. Many Egyptians have been critical of the army’s decision to keep the former president in hospital rather than in prison.“The closer we get to the trial, the more tensions there are,” said Mr Gad. “The pressure is mounting and it can explode in many different ways.”
But protesters say they fear the military may be trying to protect Mr Mubarak and that they may also want to preserve authoritarian rule under a veneer of democracy.
The army is also seen as the last barrier standing between the country and chaos, and continues to enjoy enormous public support after their refusal to shoot at demonstrators during the uprising.
By Heba Saleh taken from http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f258cb72-b61a-11e0-8bed-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1T86SyZ6r
Several thousand activists from a spectrum of political groups had organised the march to press the military council to speed up trials of officials accused of killing 850 demonstrators during the revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak, former president, this year.
But a day before the march, the military accused April 6, one of the youth groups that launched the uprising against Mr Mubarak, of seeking to turn people against the army. In language reminiscent of the Mubarak regime, a senior army general was quoted as saying the group had received training abroad to subvert the state.
The council has also urged “honourable Egyptians” to confront actions that disrupt the return to normal life.
“I think we have reached a turning point,” said Emad Gad, a political analyst and official of the Social Democratic party. “I am afraid we would go back to the situation before the revolution.We are living a similar moment. There is general tension and large sections of the population are ready to confront anyone who calls for a protest or a sit-in.”
Salma Said, a pro-democracy activist, said that after the “treason” allegations against April 6, “anything could happen, from a wave of arrests of activists which they can now justify, to attempts to fragment the revolutionary movement”.
It is not clear who attacked the protesters, but Ms Said and others say troops blocked a road and stood by while assailants armed with knives, stones and fire bombs fought running battles with protesters.
Under pressure from demonstrators camped in Tahrir Square, the prime minister has reshuffled his cabinet to bring in ministers with no ties to the Mubarak regime and promised faster trials for officials charged with corruption and killings.
The trial of Mr Mubarak on murder and corruption charges starts on August 3. Many Egyptians have been critical of the army’s decision to keep the former president in hospital rather than in prison.“The closer we get to the trial, the more tensions there are,” said Mr Gad. “The pressure is mounting and it can explode in many different ways.”
But protesters say they fear the military may be trying to protect Mr Mubarak and that they may also want to preserve authoritarian rule under a veneer of democracy.
The army is also seen as the last barrier standing between the country and chaos, and continues to enjoy enormous public support after their refusal to shoot at demonstrators during the uprising.
By Heba Saleh taken from http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f258cb72-b61a-11e0-8bed-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1T86SyZ6r
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