Activists demand justice for Port Said victims

Thousands of members of Egypt's football fan club, Ultras Ahlawy, gathered Thursday night in Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square to demand fair punishment for those responsible for the Port Said football massacre. Around 5000 Ultras lifted  large banner with the number "74", in reference to the number of victims who have been killed in the Port Said clashes. The members wore t-shirts with the slogan: "The day I give up the martyrs’ rights, I will be a martyr as well." The Ultras organised a huge rally on Thursday night in front of Egypt's top Al-Ahly football club to Tahrir Square, and were joined by members from  Alexandria. "Down with military rule," thousands of young men chanted. "Down with the interior ministry." Despite the large numbers of demonstrators, traffic continued to flow uninterrupted through the flashpoint square. On February 1, clashes erupted between rival fans following a scheduled match between Egyptian football clubs Ahly and Masry at Port Said Stadium. The ensuing violence left 74 football fans dead and hundreds injured. The incident is currently being investigated by a Cairo court, in which 75 defendants – including Masry Club officials, police officials and members of the Masry Ultras – face murder charges. Last week, Egypt's chief coroner Kamil Ihsan told the court that victims had died from suffocation as a result of stampede. Ihsan's testimony, however, contradicted statements by several eyewitnesses who say victims were killed by knife-wielding assailants.