"Members of security forces dressed in plain clothes and a number of thugs have stormed Tahrir Square"
Supporters of embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak clashed violently with opposition protesters after marching into an anti-regime rally in Tahrir Square, an AFP correspondent said. Protesters from both sides threw stones at each other in the divided square, the epicentre of opposition demonstrations now in their ninth day. An AFP reporter said several people had been injured. "The pro-Mubarak NDP (National Democratic Party) and the secret police dressed in plain clothes, they invaded the place to get rid of the revolt," protester Mohammed Zomor, 63, told AFP. Fighting took place around army tanks deployed around the square, with stones bouncing off the armoured vehicles. Soldiers did not intervene. Several groups were involved in fist fights, and some were using clubs. The opposition said in a statement that plain-clothes policemen stormed the square. "Members of security forces dressed in plain clothes and a number of thugs have stormed Tahrir Square," three opposition groups said in a statement. A witness said organizers were paying people 100 Egyptian pounds (12 euros, 17 dollars) to take part in the pro-Mubarak rally. A smaller gathering nearby of around 30 Mubarak supporters harassed groups of people heading for Tahrir square. One demonstrator cut his arm open and wrote with his blood on an Egyptian flag: "Yes to Mubarak". However, some residents shouted insults at the pro-regime rallies, including in Dokki.Pro-Mubarak Supporters March into Opposition Rally, Harass People
