CAIRO ? Egyptian police fired tear gas Thursday at thousands of demonstrators outside the Interior Ministry protesting the security forces' failure to prevent a soccer riot that killed more than 70 people.
Anger has been building as the public and lawmakers blamed the country's military rulers for the bloodshed, the latest to signal rapidly deteriorating security in the country since Hosni Mubarak's fall nearly a year ago.
The protests started as a peaceful march by Egyptians angry over the police inaction from the headquarters of Al-Ahly, one of Egypt's most popular soccer clubs, to the area outside the ministry building near Tahrir Square, the epicenter of last year's popular uprising that ousted Mubarak.
Security forces guarding the area were separated from the more than 10,000 protesters by concrete blocs and barbed wire, but tensions rose as protesters advanced toward them, cursing and removing some of the barriers. They also raised their shoes in the air and hurled stones. Police responded with heavy tear gas, sending demonstrators running, with some passing out and falling to the ground.
Some tried to move big concrete blocs erected around the ministry since November, when clashes between the police and protesters then left more than 40 people dead.
In scenes reminiscent of those clashes, protesters set tires on fire, sending black smoke in the air. Motorcycle drivers ferried some of those wounded from the site as ambulances were unable to get through. Egyptian state TV said 100 people had passed out from the tear gas.
The Interior Ministry said in a statement the protesters had cut the barbed wire, and crossed over the concrete blocs to reach the roads leading to the headquarters. It urged the protesters "to listen to the sound of wisdom ... at these critical moments" to prevent the spread of chaos.
Wednesday's riot at the stadium in Port Said erupted when Al-Masry fans stormed the field following a rare 3-1 win against Al-Ahly, one of Egypt's most popular clubs, but the violence went beyond the deep sports rivalry between the teams.
A network of rabid soccer fans known as Ultras vowed vengeance, accusing the police of intentionally letting rivals attack them because they have been at the forefront of protests over the past year, first against Mubarak and now the military.
Many members of die-hard soccer fans who were among the protesters vowed to storm the ministry.
"Either they (police) will die or we will die," said Islam, a member of the Ultras, said. "We are willing to die for the blood of martyrs."
He declined to give his last name because of the volatility of the situation.
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Associated Press Writer Aya Batrawy contributed to this report.
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