Report: 2 die in anti-police protests

Security forces clashed yesterday with stone-throwing protesters enraged by the failure of the police to prevent a soccer riot that killed 74 people, as sports violence spiraled into a new political crisis for Egypt.

A health official said two protesters were killed by police gunfire in clashes with the police in Suez, Egypt.

They were the first to die in demonstrations that followed a riot after a soccer game in Port Said, Egypt, that left 74 dead.

Health official Mohammed Lasheen said the two were killed by bullets early today and were taken to a hospital in Suez.

About 3,000 people demonstrated in front of police headquarters in Suez. The police fired tear gas and live ammunition, witnesses said.

Demonstrations erupted in Cairo and other places in Egypt after the Port Said incident. Protesters blame the police for failing to contain the disturbance.

The deaths Wednesday night in a post-match stadium riot in the Mediterranean city of Port Said fueled anger at Egypt's ruling military and the already widely distrusted police forces. Many in the public and in the newly elected parliament blamed the leadership for letting it happen - whether from a lack of control or, as some alleged, on purpose.

Survivors of the riot described a nightmarish scene in the stadium. The police stood by doing nothing, they said, as fans of the winning home team, Al-Masry, attacked supporters of the top Cairo club, Al-Ahly, stabbing them and throwing them off bleachers.

A narrow exit corridor turned into a death trap as crowds of fans fled into it, only to be crushed against a locked gate as their rivals attacked them from behind.

A network of zealous Al-Ahly soccer fans known as Ultras vowed vengeance, accusing the police of intentionally letting rivals attack them because they have been among the most aggressive of Egypt's revolutionaries. Ultras were at the forefront of the anti-government uprising - first against toppled leader Hosni Mubarak a year ago and now against the military that took his place in power.

"Either they will die or we will die," one Ultra said, referring to the police, as he joined a march by some 10,000 people on the Cairo headquarters of the Interior Ministry, which oversees the security forces. He would only give his first name, Islam, for fear of reprisal by the police.

The march turned into a call for the ruling military council of generals, led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, to surrender power.

"Say it out loud, the council must leave!" the marchers chanted, shouting to people in residential buildings along the way. "Get down from your balconies, Tantawi killed your children!"

The military has faced protests for months led by secular and liberal youth groups demanding an end to its rule - and the soccer riot added to criticism that the generals have mismanaged the transition from Mubarak's rule. Opponents accuse the generals of being as autocratic as the ousted president and of preserving much of his regime. They say elements in the police are undermining the revolution.