By DPA,
Cairo: Violent clashes marked a “Friday of rage” in Egypt,as anti-government protesters sought to emulate their Tunisian counterparts in a bid to bring down Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year-old regime.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities demanding more democracy, better living conditions and a new government.
At least two protesters were killed and scores injured in what was being described as Egypt’s worst unrest since 1977.
“Regime change” and “illegitimate” were some of the most common chants being directed at Egypt’s 82-year-old president, who despite calls to intervene had not been seen or heard by late afternoon.
Authorities attempted to prevent activists from coordinating their action by blocking internet sites and mobile phone.
But the protests appeared to be largely spontaneous, and soon turned ugly.
One protester was killed and several others severely injured in Cairo’s eastern district of Ain Shams when the crowd attempted to grab weapons from security forces, eyewitnesses told DPA.
Another protester was reported dead in the capital’s central Moneim Riyad Square, satellite television broadcaster Al-Jazeera reported.
Police in anti-riot gear used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. Protesters responded by hurling rocks at them and torching their vehicles.
Heavy clouds of black smoke from burning tires darkened the cities’ skies.
Much of the action took place on Cairo’s main bridges, where police had to use armoured vehicles and tear gas to push protesters back.
However, there were also reports of police and protesters shaking hands in Alexandria, where one of the biggest protests of the day took place.
However, security officials were nearly overrun in another hotspot, the eastern Egyptian port city of Suez.
State television eventually announced that a curfew would be imposed in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez.
The son of opposition leader Ayman Nour told reporters his father had to be rushed to hospital after being severely injured in the clashes.
Another influential opposition figure, Mohamed ElBaradei, was prevented from leaving a mosque in Giza where he had been attending Friday prayers and was then placed under house arrests.
ElBaradei, who arrived in Egypt Thursday, has indicated he would help head a transitional government should Mubarak step down.
The repression sparked reactions around the world.
“Those who try to violently suppress the desire for freedom will harvest extremism,” said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle in Berlin.
“Germany is on the side of democracy, human rights and civil rights,” he said, calling on Cairo to respect the right to demonstrate.
The head of the United Nations criticized the government’s decision to block communications networks.
“One of the ground principles of democracy is to protect freedom of speech,” said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Vodafone Egypt released a statement saying all mobile phone operators in the country had been “obliged” to suspend services.
Activists have been using social networking sites and twitter to organize the protests.
In an echo of developments in Tunisia, where demonstrations led to the ousting of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Mubarak’s presidential palace in the capital’s Heliopolis neighbourhood.
Egypt’s protesters were hoping to emulate the Tunisian uprising that toppled Ben Ali on January 14, after nearly 23 years in power.
There were also reports that protesters had stormed the NDP’s headquarters in Ismailiya.
Friday’s demonstrations capped a week of anti-government protests, which were being described as the worst since the famous “bread riots” 34 years ago.
Like then, the current protests are in part a reaction to rising food prices.