By Cam McGrath
CAIRO, Mar 21 2003 (IPS)

Egyptian anti-war demonstrators protesting against the U.S.-led military strike on Iraq are putting a visible strain on security forces deployed to contain the angry crowds.

Angry Egyptians clashed with police on Friday in the second day of public protest against the U.S.-led campaign in Iraq. Muslims gathering in Cairo’s Al-Azhar Mosque chanted anti-American slogans and hurled rocks at security forces stationed outside.

Police used water cannon to disperse a group of demonstrators who began protesting in the street outside the mosque.

Meanwhile, hundreds of riot police secured Cairo’s Tahrir Square to prevent anti-war activists from reaching a demonstration scheduled for 2 pm (local time).

The rally was snuffed before it could begin. Uniformed and plainclothes officers moved in to arrest what one police captain described as "notorious trouble-makers."

Veteran activists were arrested on sight. Scuffles broke out as police beat and carried off dozens of men, most of whom have political affiliations to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood or opposition political parties.

One woman was dragged by her hair to a police truck and taken away. Her friends were beaten when they asked where she was being taken.

"It is forbidden to stand here. Leave at once or you will be arrested," a plainclothes security officer warned bystanders.

Friday’s heavy-handed security came in contrast to Thursday’s leniency. The detained activists were among the 2,000 demonstrators who gathered in the same square one day earlier to protest against the commencement of hostilities in Iraq.

That demonstration was allowed to proceed, though a wall of black-clad riot police encircled the crowd to ensure that protestors did not leave the downtown square.

Police used water cannons and attack dogs to prevent protestors from marching to the nearby U.S. and British embassies, but showed uncharacteristic restraint when some protestors threw stones and chanted anti-government slogans.

"We are angry because Arab leaders did not do enough to stop this war," says Mohammed, a student activist. "We all think this, but anybody who talks too loud is arrested."

Anti-war demonstrations in Cairo and other Egyptian cities have not attracted such large numbers as have protests in other countries. The international press has commented on this fact, but many here are surprised that public demonstrations take place at all.

The Egyptian parliament recently renewed emergency laws in effect since 1981 that forbid any public demonstrations and give security forces wide-ranging powers.

Fearful of a public backlash, the government is struggling to find a balance between freedom of expression and its zero-tolerance policy. In recent weeks, the Ministry of Interior has permitted several organised anti-war rallies, including one pro-government demonstration in which it reportedly paid nearly 200,000 government employees to attend.

While Egypt is trying to give the angry masses an opportunity to vent their strong feelings, it is also taking steps to weed out political opponents and other "unruly elements."

In recent weeks, security forces have rounded up dozens of anti-war activists, arresting them at demonstrations and detaining them incommunicado. Local rights groups have condemned the detentions, demanding that the government allow people to voice their concern for the safety of innocent Iraqi citizens.

"It is a shame that the aggressing American and British governments allow millions of their citizens to protest against the aggression it plans on Iraq, while we, the peoples of the victim countries, are being arrested," local rights group Hisham Mubarak Law Center said in a statement.

Many demonstrators claim they were led into a false sense of security by the police, who let them protest one day only to crack down hard the next.

"The police might tolerate (demonstrations) one night, but don’t expect more," says Hisham Kassem, head of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights (EOHR). "They are now on red alert."

The challenge for the government is maintaining public order while keeping its own security forces in line. Egyptians are united in their anger that the U.S. has taken unilateral action against Iraq. Police share the same sentiment as the protestors they are ordered to contain, and cracks are beginning to show.

"Do you think we like doing this?" one soldier said in defiance of his commander’s gag order. "These are our brothers."

Riot police equipped with canes and shields have shown hesitancy in carrying out orders to use physical force. During one clash between police and stone-throwing youth, several officers were heard saying "Don’t hit them!"

Another late-night clash ended when demonstrators pleaded with pursuing police officers to stop obeying the orders of American and Zionist aggressors. Officers cornered several demonstrators in a covered market, but did not arrest or beat them.

"They got away," the officers told their commanders as they left the market.

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