Egyptian police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators who stormed a security building in Mansoura, injuring dozens of people in the cities of Mansoura and Port Said on Saturday, according to media reports.
Earlier in the day, around 500 protesters threw stones and petrol bombs at the Port Said station, setting it on fire. The interior ministry says protesters then blocked fire engines from reaching the blaze. Five protesters were hit by a police car while blocking traffic, Al Alam News Network reported.
Dozens of people were also injured during clashes between protesters and riot police in the city of Mansoura. The violence began when police forces fired tear gas and protesters, Ahram Online reported. The situation in the city remains tense, and more police units were deployed following clashes overnight. One protester died after being run over by a police car dispersing a crowd. The accident sparked even more anger, leading to further clashes with police. According to local police, 21 officers were injured in last night's protests.
The Egyptian Popular Current has reported that police laid siege to its Mansoura office. It also said four people were killed in the clashes, quoting a nearby doctor.
Witnesses said a police truck ran over a protester, while footage from ONTV showed officers dragging and beating up a man captured in the clashes.
More than 70 people have been killed in clashes with police since the second anniversary of Egypt's uprising in late January.
Saturday's protests come as the U.S. Secretary of State arrived in Egypt on an official visit. Kerry was set to meet with a number of opposition figures before meeting with President Morsi on Sunday.
But two main opposition leaders, Hamdeen Sabahi and Mohammed ElBaradei, have turned down meetings with Kerry in protest over Washington's call on the dissidents to reconsider their boycott of the parliamentary election.
Concurrent with John Kerry’s arrival in Cairo, the Egyptian movement of “Raise” called in a statement for Egyptian people to protest outside Washington’s embassy in Cairo, condemning the US Secretary of State’s visit to the country.
The movement described Egyptian youths in its Saturday statement as “liberal revolutionists, faithful inhabitants of Egypt, and dissidents of US pressures”, Al Alam News Network reported.
Dr. Azazi Ali Azazi, a board member of Popular Current, reiterated that Sabahi’s decision not to meet with John Kerry was taken in the Board meeting with the aim of objecting to US intervention in Egypt’s affairs.
The general director of “Hashud” movement, Mohamad Al-Jailani, also issued a statement accusing the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Qatar of trying to destroy the Muslim World by Wahhabi extremists. He invited those interested in independence and stability of Egypt, and opposed to U.S. pressures on Bahraini revolutionists to protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo condemning Kerry’s visit to Egypt.
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo has announced that it will be closed on Sunday for John Kerry’s visit to Egypt.
A U.S. Senate official has also announced that security threats regarding Kerry’s visit to Cairo has led the U.S. ambassador in Cairo to accept the American intelligent officer’s advice to close the embassy on Sunday.
The embassy is announced closed while a number of political groups and Egyptian youth organizations have called on people to protest outside Foreign Ministry of Egypt.
The Foreign Ministry of Egypt is located two kilometers away from the U.S. embassy in Cairo, and both are close to the Al-Tahrir Square. The evidence, however, shows that America has decided to close the embassy fearing Egyptians’ widespread protests might be transferred from the Foreign Ministry to Washington’s Embassy.