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At least 50 injured in clashes in Cairo

Arab World Materials 16 December 2011 14:48 (UTC +04:00)

At least 50 people were injured Friday in clashes between police and anti-government protesters in central Cairo, according to activists dpa reported

The clashes, triggered earlier on Friday by a reported attack on one protester, erupted after army forces removed scores of demonstrators who had been camping for weeks outside the cabinet headquarters near Tahrir Square.

Military police, guarding the building, denied they had attacked the protester.

The angry protesters threw stones at the military police who shot in the air to disperse them, according to witnesses.

Dozens of protesters have camped since late November outside the cabinet headquarters to prevent new Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri from entering the building.

They see al-Ganzouri, who served under former president Hosny Mubarak, as too close to the regime toppled in a popular revolt earlier this year.

Three parked cars and tents pitched by the campers caught fire during Friday's clashes, said witnesses.

A fire also hit a nearby governmental building where there were no employees on Friday, which is a holiday in Egypt.

Last month, 45 people were killed in clashes between security forces and anti-military protesters in central Cairo.

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