Maria’s note: One year since Mohamed Mahmoud
On the morning of 19 November 2011, Central Security Forces violently dispersed a sit-in that was taking place in Tahrir Square. The peaceful sit-in, formed by dozens of people, was there to demand the immediate transfer of power from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to a civilian authority. As the news of the police dismantling the tents spread, protesters and revolutionaries arrived to Tahrir and violent confrontations started between both sides. Protesters, who were heading to the Interior Ministry, were brutally attacked by the police in Mohamed Mahmoud Street, off Tahrir Square.
Human Rights Watch reported the use of excessive tear gas, live ammunition and rubber bullets by the police, leaving 45 dead protesters and over 2000 people injured over those deadly five days. The Interior Ministry denied the use of live ammunition. In addition to this, Central Security Forces arrested many protesters, among them women who confirmed being sexually abused by the police.
A day after the clashes started, the Freedom and Justice Party issued a statement announcing that they would not participate in more protests, “that may lead to more confrontations and tensions in a continuous effort to bury the strife between all parties sparked by the Interior Ministry.”
After days of clashes, Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi appeared expressing SCAF’s will to please the protesters trough concessions, being one of them, bringing forward the presidential elections. However, the revolutionaries saw their efforts diminished, when SCAF’s timeline remained as it was planned, with the elections taking place in May and June 2012.
One year later, around fifty political groups will commemorate this sad date with marches heading to Mohamed Mahmoud Street and an event in Tahrir Square.
