2 years on: Egyptian protesters re-take Tahrir on January 25

15 marches will convene on Tahrir Square after Friday prayers Cairo – Akram Ali Around 15 marches have set off from around Cairo en route to Tahrir Square following Friday prayers on the second anniversary of the 2011 revolution. Bloody clashes between demonstrators and security forces have continued throughout the afternoon, with tear gas and petrol bombs fired from both sides.
Meanwhile protesters set fire to the Muslim Brotherhood’s party headquarters in the canal city of Ismailiya.
Muslim Brotherhood sources claimed protesters also attempted to storm one of its offices in the Cairo district of Tawfikiya.
There have been numerous unconfirmed reports of the sound of shooting in streets across Cairo.
During the morning a march from Mostafa Mahmoud Mosque was led by opposition leaders Dr Mohammed al-Baradei and Hamdin Sabbahi, while 36 other political groups contributed to the thousands of people in Tahrir Square.
Demonstrators have taken Tahrir Square, the spiritual home of Egypt’s 2011 Arab Spring upheaval, demanding the old revolutionary calls for “bread, freedom and social justice” while decrying the perceived “Brotherhoodisation of the state.”
Tents have been erected in the square, as clashes continue throughout Cairo. Police and security forces fired tear gas at demonstrators on al-Qasr al-Aini Street.
The April 6 Youth Movement handed out thousands of leaflets urging Egyptians to take part in the protests, while protestors outside the Ittihadiya Presidential Palace set up camp in preparation for a sit-in and hung anti-MB banners.
Other revolutionary groups, in parternship with the National Centre for Popular Committees and the Coalition of Revolutionary Forces, have launched intitiatives to clean and decorate city squares where protests were due to be held.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s leader, Mohammed Badie, meanwhile took to Twitter to urge Egyptians to "put public interests ahead of private ones and compete in the love of Egypt through building, reform and unity."
Other sources from the ruling party announced a series of public service acts.
Brotherhood spokesperson Ahmed Aref announced on Facebook that the organisation would push forward its “Together We Build Egypt” campaign, rather than taking part in January 25 celebrations in Tahrir Square.
"Tahrir Square is a symbol of Egyptian enlightenment and there is enough room in the revolution for everyone,” he said. “We will pursue our ‘Together, We Build Egypt’ campaign for a full month, in which time we aim to repair 1,800 schools and 650,000 medical facilities.”
Saad el-Katatni, Freedom and Justice Party [FJP] chairman, also used social media to distinguish between January 25 celebrations and “violence and vandalising state property.”
"Egyptians carried out the January 25 revolution in order to establish liberties and the rule of law,” el-Katatni claimed. “I do not believe that anyone accepts anarchy and bloodshed.”
Meanwhile, 15 movements and parties led by the Jihadist Islamic Party, Tullab al-Sharia [“Seekers of Sharia”] and Ansar al-Sharia [“Champions of Sharia”], have staged a demonstration at October 6 City’s Media Production City, threatening an Islamic revolution should President Mohammed Morsi be toppled.
The Islamic Party, speaking in an official statement, pointed fingers at what it termed the “fifth column” within the media, blaming “remnants and mouthpieces of the old regime” for attacks on Egyptian Islamists.
Organisers handed out leaflets demanding the revolution’s original demands be met, by “purging state institutions, especially the judiciary and the media” and seeking justice for the January 25 martyrs.
Sheikh Mohammed Abdallah meanwhile delivered a sermon in Tahrir Square on Friday afternoon in which he accused the Muslim Brotherhood of exploiting religion for political gain.
Brotherhood-affiliated preacher Yusuf al-Qaradawi delivered a sermon at the al-Azhar Mosque, urging Egyptians to work for their country's "renaissance" and to "preserve the revolution."
Cairo Investigation Directorate chief Major General Gamal Abdel Aal has claimed that police will take a “back seat” throughout Friday’s demonstrations.
"We will leave securing the square to the demonstrators,” he said. “The security forces will take on the task of safeguarding the square against infiltrators from outside by way of checkpoints. Security services will not tolerate attacks on private or public property, or the use of petrol bombs or firearms.”
Abdel Aal called on the demonstrators to "preserve the peaceful nature of the revolution and not resort to violence," warning that violence could take Egypt “back to square one.”