Last Updated, 11:28 p.m. Bloggers in Cairo reported that tear gas was fired into Tahrir Square by the police Thursday night, as Egypt braced for a day of protests to mark the second anniversary of the revolution that began on Jan. 25, 2011.
In #tahrir square, nasty tear gas. Really potent.
— Wael Eskandar (@weskandar) 24 Jan 13
Just came from behind CSF lines on Qasr al-Aini where the troops seemed to be thrilled the battle is on again. Teargas everywhere.. #Egypt
— Dirk Wanrooij (@dirkwanrooij) 24 Jan 13
As the Cairene blogger who writes as The Big Pharaoh explained, officers from the Central Security Forces fired the gas at protesters after the crowd started to pull down a wall blocking an entrance to the square on Qasr al-Aini Street.
Clashes erupted after Tahrir protesters tried to remove the concrete blocks at Kasr Ainy St. Useless clashes are the last thing we need now.
— The Big Pharaoh (@TheBigPharaoh) 24 Jan 13
The activist Sherief Gaber, who writes as @cairocitylimits, pointed to video of cheers erupting from the crowd as the wall was torn down on Thursday.
The cheer at this point in this video is heartening to anyone who has ever been enraged by a barrier wall: http://t.co/xCidhbHP
— sherief gaber (@cairocitylimits) 24 Jan 13
Hours after the fighting began, The Big Pharaoh called the clashes “useless,” coming on the eve of planned demonstrations in the same area to note continuing dissatisfaction with Egypt’s postrevolutionary government.
Clashes continue in Kasr Ainy st. Police firing loads of tear gas into Tahrir. Useless clashes in the wrong timing.
— The Big Pharaoh (@TheBigPharaoh) 24 Jan 13
After the wall was destroyed, the Cairo daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported that soldiers had been deployed to build a new one on the same street.
@Adamtawny they’re building another one as this goes down http://t.co/PRVB498c
— Amani Massoud (@amassouda) 24 Jan 13
At about 6 a.m. on Friday morning, The Big Pharaoh posted an image of clouds of tear gas in Tahrir Square and expressed his amazement that the police had apparently continued firing canisters throughout the night.
Police still firing tear gas in #tahrir. It is unbelievably intense. I thought they built their concrete wall, why are they still firing?!
— The Big Pharaoh (@TheBigPharaoh) 25 Jan 13
They’re firing tear gas like crazy even though they’ve built their wall. Why?? #tahrir http://t.co/n2nS320E
— The Big Pharaoh (@TheBigPharaoh) 25 Jan 13
The Lede Blog: Tear Gas in Tahrir Two Years After Revolution's Start
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The Lede Blog: Tear Gas in Tahrir Two Years After Revolution's Start
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The Lede Blog: Tear Gas in Tahrir Two Years After Revolution's Start
