Split Civility

Pro-Mubarak Protesters

In the wake of current events it would appear that Egypt is not as unified as many people first thought. Yesterday marked the first conflicts between the anti-government demonstrators and the pro-government demonstrators, a conflict which lasted almost five hours in Tahrir Square.

The conflicts are reported to have began at around midday in Cairo (1000 GMT) where the two groups were said to be fighting with their fists, an array of blunt weapons an various missiles. However this only lasted for around three hours until the conflicts escalated to a violent gunfight between the two sides, which in turn lasted until the army officials vowed that they themselves would open fire upon the pro-government faction unless the situation was to calm down.

These conflicts eventually added to Egypt's death toll, which is past the 300 mark, as five more men were pronounced dead, all with gun shot wound related deaths. On top of these deaths were a further 836 reported injuries officially making it the most violent day since the rebellion began ten days ago.

Prime Minister Shafiq

The anti-government protests have since barricaded themselves in at Cairo where rumors of government involvement are spreading fast, as many protesters believe the pro-government faction has been privately funded by government authorities with the sole purpose of dissuading anti-government protesters. The newly appointed Egyptian Prime Minister Shafiq said that his cabinet had in no way encouraged the rebellion and released this statement to Egyptian television: "When investigations reveal who is behind this crime and who allowed it to happen, I promise they will be held accountable and will be punished for what they did"

Foreign presence is becoming more and more unwelcome on the streets of Egypt with many non-Egyptians fearing for their safety for the first time since protests began, this issue was quickly acted on by the US embassy in Egypt with it warning all American citizens to leave Egypt immediately. Press coverage, which up until now has been welcomed in Egypt has also came under hostility with BBC reporter, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes being handcuffed, blinded folded and interrogated by Egyptian authorities for over three hours.

In response to this, a furious David Cameron threatened with retaliation and released a statement saying "If it turns out that the regime in any way has sponsored or tolerated this violence, that is completely unacceptable".

- Has this gone past the point of a peaceful resolve?