video transcript

Hundreds of youths clashed with Egyptian police in Tahrir Square on Friday (January 25) in a violent start to the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak and led to the election of an Islamist president who is now the focus of protester rage. By prayer time, thousands of opponents of President Mohamed Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood allies had gathered in Tahrir Square at the start of a mass protest expected to revive the demands of a revolution that they say has been betrayed by the Islamists. The square was calm by daybreak, following early morning battles between police and protesters who threw petrol bombs and firecrackers as they tried to approach a wall blocking access to government buildings near the square. The Health Ministry said 16 people had been wounded in clashes between young protesters who threw stones over a wall blocking where police were guarding government buildings including the parliament.