"We deplore the incident that took place at the Algerian chancellery in
The embassy was surrounded by more than 300 Libyans on Sunday who ripped down the Algerian emblem,
Arabic-language daily Ennahar said the Libyan fans also shouted hostile slogans and burned an Algerian flag.
The protest lasted for more than three hours without the intervention of the Libyan security forces, the
"We hope that the appropriate measures are taken, conforming to international conventions, to ensure the protection of our diplomatic and consular missions in this brotherly country," Belani said.
At the stadium in
Independent daily El-Watan blamed the unrest on stadium officials for selling too many tickets and on youths under the influence of drugs, saying 30 people were taken to hospital, some of whom had been attacked with knives. –
WORLD
More on the Port Said
The Egyptian Football Federation on Tuesday delayed domestic
league games indefinitely because police have not given assurances they can
secure matches.
The federation's deputy chairman Hassan Farid told The
Associated Press that the Interior Ministry has not guaranteed it can safeguard
the games, which were scheduled to start in August. The season was delayed
several times over the past two months due to protests by die-hard fans and
issues related to corporate sponsorships.
Fans are demanding justice for 74 people killed in February
when supporters of Al-Masry, in the Mediterranean city of Port
Said Cairo
Local rights groups say security forces stood by to punish
fans of Egypt
The so-called Ultra supporters of Al-Ahly team have since
rallied outside stadiums where friendly cup matches were played without
spectators, demanding that those charged are found guilty. They have also
stormed the federation's offices in September, firing flares at the building,
smashing cars belonging to employees and walking away with trophies to denounce
a decision that the league would start in October.
The supporters have also held large-scale marches in Cairo
Federation head Gamal Allam said the Interior Ministry has
not provided a written confirmation it can protect league matches.
Ahmed Megahid, a board member of the football federation,
said it is ''not responsible for the environment surrounding the matches'' and
that security must be provided by the Interior Ministry.
''We will not play based on a verbal vow,'' he told the AP.
''We require a written letter from the Interior Ministry with its approval for
the start of the league.''
Police shot and killed two protesters in Suez, Egypt, early
Friday, a health official said, the first to die in clashes that erupted around
the country after a
riot at a soccer stadium killed 74, as sports violence spiraled into a
new political crisis for Egypt.
Protesters blame police for failing to control the riot after
the soccer game in Port Said Cairo
Football violence rears its ugly head in Egypt Port
Said
In Suez Port Said
Police responded with tear gas and then opened fire,
witnesses said. Health official Mohammed Lasheen said two men were killed by
bullets. Fifteen other protesters were wounded, he said.
The deaths of 74 people Wednesday night in a post-match
stadium riot in the Mediterranean city of Port Said Egypt
Survivors of the riot described a nightmarish scene in the
stadium. Police stood by doing nothing, they said, as fans of the winning home
team, Al-Masry, attacked supporters of the top Cairo
A narrow exit corridor turned into a death trap as crowds of
fans fled into it, only to be crushed against a locked gate as their rivals
attacked them from behind.
A network of zealous Al-Ahly soccer fans known as Ultras
vowed vengeance, accusing the police of intentionally letting rivals attack
them because they have been among the most aggressive of Egypt
''Either they will die or we will die,'' one Ultra said,
referring to the police, as he joined a march by some 10,000 people on the Cairo
The march turned into a call for the ruling military council
of generals, led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, to surrender power.
''Say it out loud, the council must leave!'' the marchers
chanted, shouting to people in residential buildings along the way. ''Get down
from your balconies, Tantawi killed your children!''
The military has faced protests for months led by secular
and liberal youth groups demanding an end to its rule - and the soccer riot
added to criticism that the generals have mismanaged the transition from
Mubarak's rule. Opponents accuse the generals of being as autocratic as the
ousted president and of preserving much of his regime. They say elements in the
police and former regime figures have been working behind the scenes to
undermine the revolution and prevent real change.
''We dreamed of change. They fooled us and brought us a
field marshal instead,'' protesters chanted Thursday as they reached the
Interior Ministry, near Tahrir Square Cairo
The crowds approached the ministry from multiple sides. Some
tried to dismantle walls of large concrete blocks that had been erected on
streets leading to the ministry after November clashes. Others tore away barbed
wire barriers.
Protesters hurled stones at lines of riot police, who
responded with heavy barrages of tear gas that sent the crowd scattering, some
passing out and falling. Protesters set tires on fire, sending up black smoke
as motorcyclists ferried away the injured. One young man who climbed atop a
traffic light waving a flag was unmoved even as he was engulfed in a cloud of
gas.
''We are just across the street from the ministry,'' said
one protester, Taha Mahfouz, wearing a helmet and waving a club that he had
taken from riot police. ''They can't protect their own stuff. How can they
protect the country?''
The Health Ministry said 388 protesters were injured, most
overcome by gas.
In an emergency session of parliament, several lawmakers
said the police failure to stop the rioting was intentional, aimed at stoking
insecurity since Mubarak's ouster on Feb.
11, 2011 . The aim, they said, was to create instability to justify
maintaining strict emergency laws.
''This is a complete crime,'' said Abbas Mekhimar, head of
parliament's defense committee. ''This is part of the scenario of fueling chaos
against Egypt
More on the Port Said
Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri told parliament he had
dissolved the Egyptian Soccer Federation's board and referred its members for
questioning by prosecutors about the violence. He also said the governor of Port
Said
Tantawi told reporters Wednesday that the country's
transition will not be derailed by the violence.
''Egypt
Security officials said 47 people were arrested in Port
Said
The soccer violence - the world's deadliest in 15 years -
began when Al-Masry pulled out a surprise 3-1 victory over Al-Ahly ,
Egypt
''I saw death with my own eyes. I saw people take their last
breath,'' said Samir Saad, a 27-year old Al-Ahly fan who was stabbed in the leg
as he fled into the stands. ''The security opened the doors for Al-Masry fans
and closed (them) in our face.''
Others reported Al-Ahly fans being thrown from the stands or
jumping to escape. Some said Al-Masry supporters carved the words ''Port
Said
Authorities shut off the stadium lights, plunging it into
darkness. In the exit corridor, the fleeing crowd pressed against a chained
gate until it broke open.
''Everyone was pushing. Under me were more than three people
and I am being pushed. Everyone is pushing trying to breathe,'' said Mahmoud
Ibrahim, who was trapped in the corridor. He spoke at Cairo
There was bad blood between the two teams even before the
match, and many were itching for a fight. Early in the game, Ultras raised a
banner reading, ''Port Said
Ultras accused police of failing to do the usual searches
for weapons, and witnesses reported fans in the Al-Masry stands had clubs and
knives. El-Iskandarani, the rights worker investigating the violence, said
witnesses reported that some of those carrying knives were known locally as
thugs-for-hire.
Pedro Barny, a Portuguese assistant to Al-Ahly coach Manuel
Jose, complained of a lack of security as the tensions mounted during the game.
''The atmosphere was very aggressive. It was very
intimidating for our team,'' Barny told Radiotelevisao Portuguesa. ''There were
opposition fans walking up and down unchallenged in front of our bench during
the game and the police did nothing.''
He said there was a charge across pitch toward the Al-Ahly
fans that collided with the players and coaches. ''I ran and ran to get away
from it.''
He said he was punched and kicked as he sprinted for the tunnel.
The Ultras are among Egypt
The network is highly organized across the country, but they
were long apolitical, resenting the police for friction at soccer matches. When
the uprising began, the Ultras used their years of experience in clashing with
police at stadiums to help defend protesters against attacks by security forces
and regime supporters.
After Mubarak's fall, they joined protests against the
military, and in November and December, they fought back against troops
cracking down on demonstrations in clashes that left dozens dead. Ironically,
the revolution has united the Ultra backers of the Al-Ahly and Zamalek clubs,
the country's most bitter soccer rivalry.
Ahmad Saqqar, a 22-year-old Ultra wearing a red Al-Ahly
shirt, said the Ultras are ''all about resisting police suppression.''
''The military plotted yesterday to take revenge on us,'' he
said. ''We know how to respond ... after we recover from our wounds.''
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