CAIRO - Egyptians were rallied to the streets on Sept. 9 for protests that were dubbed as a step toward "correcting the path of the revolution." But anger over a political transformation that has been slow in coming turned into an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Cairo that dramatically altered the course of Egypt's domestic uprising.
The Israeli Embassy raid in Giza was caused by the convergence of multiple factors: a spike in anti-Israeli anger, which was already running high over the killing of five Egyptian soldiers just across the Gaza border following an Aug. 18 terrorist attack near the Israeli city of Eilat; the outpouring of anger at the Egyptian police that has accompanied the revolution; and even the hooliganism of some local soccer fans. But whatever the cause for the violence, it is clear that Egypt -- as well as Israel's other stalwart ally in the region, Turkey -- is looking to distance itself from its former partner, with potentially drastic effects on the entire Middle East.
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The mood in Tahrir Square, around two miles from the Israeli Embassy, on Sept. 9 remained festive, until groups of pro-democracy protesters carrying hammers marched toward the embassy. They were intent on breaking down a concrete security wall that had been built a week earlier after previous protests threatened the embassy. Egypt's military rulers, who had previously moved to shut down popular demonstrations, had issued a statement the previous day that allowed protesters to take to the streets in Tahrir, as long as they didn't remain overnight.
"We will withdraw all our police and Army officers from the square for 24 hours to give way to a peaceful protest," Lt. Col. Amr Imam, the media spokesman of the armed forces, told me before the protest. "We urge political powers and organizers to control the crowds to avoid any attacks on public property, which we will not tolerate."
Imam would not get his wish, but then again, he didn't keep his promise either. Outside the embassy, hundreds of charged protesters hammered down and scaled the concrete wall as residents and bystanders cheered. As nighttime closed around 6 p.m., most of the wall was destroyed, and the sky lit up with celebratory fireworks. The protest seemed to have a momentum all its own: "Are we going to war?" Ashraf Nagi, one of many protesters watching the rowdy crowd in shock, asked me.
Violence erupted around 9 p.m. on a back street between the Israeli and Saudi embassies, when dozens of angry protesters attacked an anti-riot police unit stationed there. The police officers were outnumbered, and they fled, running toward the Giza police headquarters several hundred meters away and leaving behind two trucks filled with supplies. By the time the violence was over, 1,049 people had been injured, many from tear gas inhalation, and three were dead, according the Health Ministry.
The angry crowd was a combination of soccer hooligans and pro-democracy protesters who had two common enemies: the police and Israel. Ever since the first day of the uprising on Jan. 25 -- Egypt's Police Day -- one of the revolution's original demands was the end of police brutality. Now, almost eight months later, the police have remained committed to their old ways: On Sept. 6, they stormed the bleachers of a soccer match, attacking a faction of supporters of the popular Al Ahly club, known as the "Ultras." Post-match clashes spilled outside the stadium, leaving 133 people, including 71 security officers, injured.
On Sept. 7, dozens of Ultras showed up outside the trial of deposed President Hosni Mubarak and threatened the police, chanting, "We burned your trucks and took you down on the 25th, you rats; we'll do it again on September 9th."
The Ultras made good on their promise. Protesters burned the first two trucks they came across, and thick clouds of black smoke billowed in the sky. The demonstrators claimed their victory as they ran out of the trucks, waving two stolen machine guns, tear gas bombs, helmets, and protective gear.
The Giza police headquarters was the next target of the protesters. Outside the building, armed police stood in two rows, urging the protesters to refrain from hurling stones at them. One Army officer who had been attempting to negotiate with the protesters was struck on the head with a stone, which drew blood. Another police commander waved an Egyptian flag, but the growing number of protesters refused his appeal to patriotism as they chanted in defiance, "Our police are pimps; who do we go to? Forget your Mubarak; you only have us to teach you a lesson."
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