A group of teenage attackers holding metal rods and knives stormed Tahrir Square early Friday morning, setting fire to tents and beating up people camped in the square.
A small number of people have been sleeping in Tahrir for weeks, mostly families of those killed since the 25 January revolution began early last year. They are demanding justice for their deceased family members.
The sit-in started with the one-year anniversary of the start of the uprising, which drew masses to the square to demand retribution for the killers of protesters and an end to military rule.
“We are here to cleanse the square of the street people and keep it a space for the revolutionaries,” said a woman holding a metal rod.
Next to her, a young man said, “We're the thugs coming to cleanse the square from drug users. There is an important gathering today for the revolutionaries and we want to keep it for them. We want the downfall of military rule.”
The woman added that they came on their own initiative and weren't sent by anyone.
“We have been beaten and suffered too,” she said.
The group attacking the square shied away from tents bearing clear signs of martyrs' families, but pursued other unidentified tents.
Mohamed Attiyan said he supports purging the square because the people holding the sit-in are part of the Mubarak regime.
"We used to hand them over to the Interior Ministry, but they just keep bringing them back," he said.
Another young man taking part in the attack named Mohamed explained how they were choosing to burn the tents.
“The ones that physically look dirty,” he said, adding that he and the other attackers had learned that some drug deals have been taking place in these tents. He did not provide further evidence for this claim.
The attackers did not provide their names for this story.
