Yesterday, stone-throwing youths faced down riot police outside the American University of Cairo near Tahrir Square, as hundreds of protesters shouted chants calling for the downfall of Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Egypt’s de facto leader.
Then last night, as many as 20,000 people packed Tahrir Square, and thousands more milled around in surrounding streets.
The protesters won at least a partial victory after the civilian cabinet offered to resign, which followed the exit of Culture Minister Emad Abu Ghazi. A group of diplomats issued a statement condemning the way the latest protests have been handled.
The ruling military council urged calm and called for crisis talks with political forces to find a way forward, but did not say whether it would accept the resignation of the cabinet, tendered on Sunday.
The council voiced its “deep regret for the victims in these painful incidents”, state news agency Mena said.
Last night’s trouble came after hours of bloody confrontations, which continued throughout the early hours of yesterday morning. Volunteer doctors working in makeshift field hospitals close to Tahrir Square struggled to cope as hundreds of badly injured activists were rushed back from the front lines.
The United States said it was “deeply concerned” by the violence and called for democratic elections, as watchdog Amnesty International charged the SCAF’s record on human rights was worse than the Mubarak regime.
Egyptians are being now being urged to rally en masse on Tuesday.
The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s best-organised political force, said it would take part in the talks with the army.
The Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party said earlier it would not participate in Tuesday’s protest, a decision it said stemmed from its “desire not to pull people towards fresh bloody confrontations with the parties that are seeking more tension.”
