A group of protesters participating in an Aswan sit-in filed a report Thursday against their governor for inciting others to cause a fire at their camp. After attending a demonstration in nearby Mahatta square on Wednesday, Aswan protesters returned to their camp early Thursday morning to find one of their tents on fire. “We got the sleeping protester out as soon as possible," Maysara Abdoun, member of the executive office of the Revolutionary Youth Coalition in Aswan, said. “Then we quickly followed the person who set fire to the tent, but he took off on his motorbike; we weren't able to catch him." Abdoun added the lights around the sit-in, held in a public garden, had been turned off. Other lights in the garden were working. “We couldn't see the suspect clearly due to that fact," Abdoun said. Khaled Al-Baker, Mohamed Nour, Abdallah Youssef, Mahmoud Amin and Ahmad Abdel Wahab filed a report, named report 4354, against General Mostafa Al-Sayed at the Aswan police department. It accused him of inciting others to set fire to the tent and attempted murder of a protester, according to Khaled Al-Baker. The protesters then blocked the road to the governorate office, however, this was later reopened. Abdoun said there had been rumours police officers were planning to reopen the blocked road by force, so the decision was take to abandon the road protest, “in order to preserve the peaceful nature of our sit-in." Al-Baker said this wasn't the first time the protesters had filed a report against the governor. “Last Thursday, we filed another report accusing him of inciting others to physically abuse and kill us," Al-Baker said. She clarified that slum inhabitants had broken into their camp at least three times. She claimed this was part of a plot to cause clashes at the sit-in and give police a reason to clear the area. Organisers of the two week long sit-in include; Al-Tayar party, Al-Dostour party, Al-Wasat party, the Kefaya movement, the Ultras Ahlawy and Zamalkawi, and the Revolutionary Youth Coalition, according to Abdoun. The ongoing protest has been calling for the governor's resignation, accusing him of corruption and holding him responsibile for the burning of a church, a catalyst for last year's Maspero violence.
