3 killed in anti-Mubarak protests in Egypt; scribes detained

Notwithstanding Interior Ministry's warnings, hundreds of protesters assembled in central Cairo despite the area being peppered with armored vehicles loaded with armed security personnel.

Police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to clear protesters, who chanted "Down with Hosni Mubarak, down with the tyrant," "We don't want you!". In the morning, the Interior Ministry had warned that it will not allow any protests to go ahead.

Egyptian security forces resorted to excessive force to disperse the demonstrations on "Day of Rage" last evening, media reports said. The protesters, who hurled stones at security forces, were supposed to continue their rallies until the change was achieved.

Three people -- two protesters and a police officer -- died in the protests nationwide, they said. The number of demonstrators in Cairo is believed to be around three thousands and they used the journalists union as a launch pad for the protest and as a result a number of journalists have been detained.

In Cairo, the protesters lit tyres in the middle of some main streets to keep security vehicles at bay and pelted stones at public buildings and attempted to break into them.
There were sounds of sirens all over the capital and the smell of tear gas hangs over the entire down town area.

At some places, witnesses said the protesters called on the security forces that "We are your brethren, don't beat us" and insisted that the demonstration would not turn violent. Chanting "peaceful, peaceful". However, the troops went ahead with the extensive effort to disperse the crowd, they alleged.

As a result many protesters fainted and several were wounded. Many journalists were also detained in the Tahrir square in Cairo to gag the reporting. The social networking websites "Twitter" and "Facebook" were blocked and a gag was placed on mobile networks in order to inhibit communications.

There have also been huge protests in the port city of Suez where the four casualties of the "Day of Rage" were kept. The protests in Suez have been held mainly infront of the morgue where the corpses are still being kept and those protesting are asking for a forensic examination before the burial.

After considerable silence, the ruling National Democratic Party has issued a statement in which it expressed understanding of the demands of youth and asked them to respect the other opinion.