Women on frontlines as Cairo clashes continue for second day

As Egyptian riot police forces and demonstrators pelted each other with rocks and tear gas in downtown Cairo for the second consecutive day, it wasn’t only young men on the front lines. Women, veiled and unveiled, stood with their male countrymen just yards from the police lines. Many young women braved wave after wave of tear gas in side streets so they could offer tissues saturated with vinegar to other demonstrators fleeing the acrid plumes of white smoke. Others dashed in and out of the main streets, recording with cameras and mobile phones. One young medic, who asked that her name not be revealed, has been on the streets and volunteering in a makeshift clinic near Tahrir Square – the epicenter of Egypt’s January uprising – since yesterday. She said that while she did not agree with Friday’s demonstration, she felt she had to come when the situation turned violent on Saturday. “All of this violence, it’s inexcusable,” she told Youm7 while standing outside the clinic. Julia Foley is an American student who has been in Cairo for two and a half years. Foley was standing just around the corner from the frontlines of the battle between demonstrators and security forces when Youm7 met her today. Foley said she wasn’t worried about being so close to the action. “I’m trying to do what I can to help,” Foley told Youm7, especially since it’s the American government that supplies most of the tear gas.” Indeed, Youm7 saw many tear gas canisters today that said, ‘MADE IN USA.’ All were produced in August 2010 with an expiration date of August 2015. “I’d feel bad just sitting in my apartment,” Foley added. The violence began Saturday morning, when the Egyptian armed forces cleared Tahrir Square of the remnants of Friday’s protest. Angry at the violent dispersion, Egyptian activists soon streamed into Tahrir Square and clashes began. Official Ministry of Health figures said two people were killed in Saturday’s violence. No official numbers have been released regarding the death toll on Sunday, although doctors say at least three have died. Clashes between demonstrators and riot police continued through Saturday night and well into Sunday. When the Egyptian army cleared the square of tens of thousands of demonstrators on Sunday night, many activists quickly called for another return to the square. The violence comes just days ahead of Egypt’s first post-revolution vote. Elections for the People’s Assembly, the lower house of Egypt’s bicameral parliament, are slated to begin on November 28.