CAIRO: Egyptian police and protesters continue to do battle in downtown Cairo for the third consecutive evening. The sounds of tear gas being fired can be heard across the capital, with activists reporting bird shot and rocks also being hurled at the protesters. The main Qasr el-Aini road leading to Tahrir Square has been cut off as police aim to encircle demonstrators and force them back to the main square. The ministry of interior has reported over 120 protesters have been arrested in the past few days as violence continues to persist. Clashes continued for the third day on Wednesday, with barrages of tear gas being fired at demonstrators near Tahrir Square. One of the focal points was the main Qasr el-Aini street leading to the iconic square, where tear gas and rubber bullets were fired and reached side streets, forcing residents to take cover as police attempted to disperse the demonstrators. “It is very worrying because this is our home and the police don't have any semblance of order about what they are doing," one local resident just off Qasr el-Aini told Bikyamasr.com as a tear gas canister hit their side street the evening before. Protesters on Wednesday morning were in full protest mode again, with chants of “void" being heard streets away. The violence began on Tuesday after police began attacking demonstrators who had gathered again on Mohamed Mahmoud Street. According to witnesses nearby the area, police are throwing rocks at protesters from buildings above them. Activists reported at least one person was killed in Monday night's violence that saw thousands head to the street to commemorate the deaths in 2011 on the one-year anniversary, but were met with police violence later in the evening. An image of the blood trail was published on the micro-blogging site by activists as evidence that the demonstrator had been killed. While Bikyamasr.com could not confirm the reports, activists also said another person had been killed in the violence. The ministry of health has reported 61 persons were injured in the clashes that erupted on Monday night near Tahrir Square. Activists, however, say the number is higher than that being reported by the ministry. On Monday night and into Tuesday early morning, police continued to attack what had been a peaceful demonstration to mark the one-year anniversary of the Mohamed Mahmoud violence that left scores dead. According to activists, police attacked the demonstrators on the main Qasr el-Aini street in downtown Cairo, pushing them back to the main square. By early morning Tuesday as chants could be heard streets away, the scene was still volatile as police continue to fire tear gas and rubber bullets at the protesters, who have been chanting “down with the Morsi regime," in reference to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who was elected in the country's first democratic election in the country's history last summer. This morning, however, as cars traveled on the Qasr el-Aini street by the Egyptian Cabinet, the debris left over from the clashes was still present on the ground. The Media and PR chief Osama Ismail at the ministry of interior ministry, told al-Qahira al-Youm on the OSN network that some of “infiltrators" among the protesters threw Molotov cocktails and rocks, leading to “a number of injured soldiers." He also claimed that two soldiers were shot by demonstrators with rubber bullets. He called on protesters to “eliminate those infiltrators." Ismail added that the violence began after demonstrators went near the ministry building and began throwing rocks at soldiers and removing security barricades.
