Squatters in Waraq leave 31 policemen injured

Thirty-one policemen were injured by citizens of Waraq Island resisting the termination of their encroachment on state-owned land on the island located in the Nile River in Giza governorate, said the Ministry of Interior in a statement on Sunday.

The ministry said that a number of “squatters” gathered together objecting to the removal of the encroachments. They opened birdshots and threw stones at the forces, who reacted by throwing tear gas to disperse them and regain control over the situation.

This left eight officers injured, and 23 policemen with bruises and wounds. They were rushed to the hospital.

As El Masry El Youm reported, Waraq squatters blocked the Corniche Street in Giza to protest the death of a citizen in clashes between them and the police.

Clashes erupted Sunday between security forces and residents of the Warraq district in Giza during a crackdown to remove Nile transgressions resulted in injuries among both sides.

Assistant Security Directorate head Reda el-Omda was among the injured with birdshots, and a civilian suffered suffocation from a tear-gas bomb thrown to disperse the residents, according to Al-Shorouq newspaper.

A number of the residents who participated in the clashes were detained.

The Giza Security Directorate launched a campaign Sunday to remove violating buildings on the Nile in Warraq district.

In January 2015, the Ministry of Irrigation launched a national campaign titled “Save the Nile” aimed at removing all transgressions placed on the Nile River. Since the launching, a total of 26,651 violation cases were seized.