On Saturday 29 January, protesters in Tahrir tried to march on the Interior Ministry’s compound in Lazoughly Square, which hosts one of Mubarak’s biggest torture centers, State Security Police headquarters.
Although the police has withdrawn from all the streets on the previous night, following their defeat, their forces gathered to protect Lazoughly, and snipers were stationed around the ministry’s buildings. The police kept firing continuous rounds of tear gas, live ammunition, rubber bullets, birdshots. I don’t know how many died. I saw at least one. Many were injured.
The army did not protect the protesters. After hours of clashes, the tanks moved into Muhammad Mahmoud Street, to try separate between the revolutionaries and the police troops. The revolutionaries took the tanks as a shield and kept trying to storm the compound. People also used blankets, cardboards, anything they can shield themselves with in the face of the bullets.
Unfortunately, the compound could not be stormed on that day. One day we will.
