Hundreds march to commemorate Mohamed Mahmoud 'heroes'

Demonstrators commemorated the victims of last year's Mohamed Mahmoud clashes with a march through Cairo to the 'Street of Freedom' Hundreds gathered at Mohamed Mahmoud Street on Tuesday to commemorate the slain victims of the clashes which took place in the street in central Cairo last year from 19-23 November. The protest started as a funeral march organised by the 6 April Youth Movement, which departed from Cairo University and continued on until it reached Mohamed Mahmoud Street, sometimes referred to by activists as 'the Street of Freedom.' Around 47 peaceful protesters were killed last November during prolonged street clashes that erupted after Egypt's Central Security Forces tried to violently disperse a sit-in in Tahrir Square. The clashes, which continued in now-famous Mohamed Mahmoud Street, also left hundreds injured. Many also lost their eyes, apparently as the result of police firing pellets which deliberately targeted protesters' eyes. As protesters reached Mohamed Mahmoud Street they started chanting "Another revolution is on its way" as well as anti-Brotherhood chants. The funeral march, which was dubbed 'the march for the heroes' was joined by members of the Constitution Party, the Strong Egypt Party and the Student Resistance Movement. During the silent march, protesters carried symbolic coffins and held flags with the faces of victims drawn on them. Some wore eye patches to recall the eyes injured during the clashes, and others wore face masks like those used by protesters during the clashes due to excessive tear gas. A number of protests are scheduled to take place to commemorate the tragic events; the major one is expected to be on 23 November. From Ahramonline