2012-02-02

Egyptians continue to rage

Egypt: Cairo rages as football disaster bodies come home
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as supporters of Egypt’s biggest team, Al-Ahly, and thousands of revolutionary activists surrounded the interior ministry to protest against the worst footballing disaster in Egypt’s history.
The crowd, tens of thousand strong, called for the fall of the Army Council and for Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, de facto head of state, to be hanged.

Many accused supporters of Hosni Mubarak, the former president whose sons Gamal and Alaa had close ties to Egypt’s football establishment, of deliberately instigating the violence at the Port Said stadium of Al-Masry following their 3-1 win over Al-Ahly on Wednesday night.
“This was not a sports accident, this was a military massacre!” the crowds chanted. Supporters of the rival Cairo club Zamalek turned out in sympathy.

In Clashes With Police, Egyptians Unleash Fury Over Soccer Riot Deaths
News reports indicated that many of those killed in the fighting were teenagers or younger, and at least one victim in the Cairo morgue appeared to be younger than 10.

Groups of ultras organized around rival clubs began appearing in Egypt within the past decade. Although rival fans often clashed, all shared a common culture of obscene chants, special firecrackers and instruments, and a violent hatred of the police who usually try to control them. Some paint vulgar insults to the police on walls around Cairo.

In the year since the uprising against Mr. Mubarak, the ultras have increasingly found that political demonstrations are good for practicing their second favorite sport, fighting with police officers.
Egypt's stock market bottomed at the start of the year, as social mood declines. However, the stock market has rebounded and didn't drop much after the riot. We may see a further rebound as power transfers from the military to democratically elected representatives, but longer term, the outlook is negative.

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