The synagogue was empty and had an enormous amount of meat wagons, barriers and armed police blocking the enterance to the entire street that its on.
I found the crowd, a mixture of all sorts of people, very young, old, men, women, but nothing that could be compared to a black bloc. We marched straight through the first line of riot police towards the embassies. The second didnt budge. The atmosphere was different to most demonstrations Ive been on. Kind of relaxed and everyone having a laugh and enjoying themselves. This was even after the police grabbed one man and started to beat him within the crowd. This incident sparked a limited response. A few people started to throw rocks at the police, I was hit over the head by a flower pot, the man who threw it apologised, an example of the warmth of the Arab people towards all people, even if they hate thier governments. There was no ill will towards me my entire time in Palestine and now Cairo. After a few rocks were thrown the police water canons raced in followed by a charge of riot police. The police took anything and everything they could find, metal bars, sticks, rocks, bottles. They stormed the mixed crowd with a ferocity that seemed a mixture between the black bloc and Italian police. They had a few of us trapped in a side street. From the window on the first floor of some flats people chanted against the war. The police took offense to this and 100s of rocks were through from the police with little if any response from the flat. I was told to leave and walked around a few strrets to get a good idea of the whole situation. The police were running around like football hooligans while some fled and others continued with thier shopping, hubly bubblies and sweet tea. I had to stop for something to eat, since then Ive heard theres a car on fire by the Hilton, a burnt out fire engine was being towed in the opposite direction. The most important part of this story is the fact that I, as an englishman, have seen with my own eyes the warmth and good nature of the Arabs in a time when my government is bombing innocent people and aiding the terror and ethnic cleansing of Israel.