According to al-Jazeera Egyptian football hooligans have joined the protesters in Tahrir square, bringing along a lot of experience in fighting the police.
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The Ultras have stood at the forefront of recent clashes with security forces. In many cases, they were armed with rocks, petrol bombs and firecrackers.
"The Ultras are here. I know that because they’re the only ones facing the CSF with force while singing their hymns," protester Mosa'ab Elshamy wrote on Twitter on the first day of clashes.
It is part of the Ultras code to remain anonymous to non-members. Dressed in a uniform of skinny jeans, neck scarves and hooded sweatshirts pulled tight over their heads, the Ultras in Tahrir could go unnoticed to those unfamiliar with their habits.
As clashes between protesters and police erupted on the side streets of Tahrir Square last week, the Ultras stood together, chanting their team songs and shooting fireworks and other incendiary weapons.
Elshamy, a photographer and activist, was in Tahrir when he noticed the arrival of the football fanatics. They had come to confront a police force armed with rubber bullets and tear gas.
"They stayed there in the square almost through 100 hours of fighting," Elshamy said. "It’s easy to notice them because of their use of Molotov cocktails, their extreme courage and recklessness, their chants. They became a common sight."
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http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/fea...912960586.html