Tahrir protesters clash with police

Clashes broke out between anti-government protesters and security forces in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Sunday afternoon following attempts by the latter to resume a sit-in and close the square off to traffic. Security forces re-opened the square early on Sunday morning, removing tents and evicting picketers who had been staging an intermittent anti-government sit-in since 22 November. At the same time, a group of Ultras Ahlawy – hardcore fans of Cairo's Ahly football club – blocked Cairo’s Salah Salem Street, a major thoroughfare leading to Cairo International Airport. Members of the group set tyres alight in the middle of the road, bringing traffic in both directions to a standstill. In downtown Cairo, meanwhile, Ultras Ahlawy members laid siege to Egypt’s central bank, blocking access to the building and obstructing traffic in the area. The moves come in advance of a scheduled 9 March court ruling on 52 defendants involved in last year's Port Said stadium tragedy. The group has been calling for harsh sentences against the defendants, who include officials of both Egypt’s interior ministry and Port Said’s Masry football club. In January, a court sentenced 21 Port Said residents to death for their involvement in killing scores of rival football fans in Egypt's worst-ever football-related disaster. The ruling sparked violent riots across the canal city, which led to clashes with police in which at least 40 people were killed. Seventy-three defendants – including nine police officials, three Masry football club officials and a number of fans – stand accused of murdering 74 Ahly fans following an ill-tempered match in February of last year. From Ahram Online