Egypt: Protesters destroy Shafiq presidential campaign headquarters

Protesters have filled Cairo's now iconic Tahrir Square and elsewhere in Egypt after having hit the streets on June 2 and then during the pre-dawn hours of June 3. Young people, mostly boys and men, have assailed the campaign headquarters of former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq. This is the second such assault on the candidate's headquarters in one week.

Shafiq's headquarters are located in a neighborhood in Cairo's south, where dozens of fans of one of Egypt's popular football teams - Al Ahly - are evident. Thuggish fans of the team were also involved in an incident in Port Said this past February where deaths and injuries resulted. The assailants have destroyed furniture, communications and other electronics at the headquarters and caused significant damage to the interior. Photographs and signage used by Shafiq's campaign have been burned and trampled.

A group of young people began a march in the late afternoon of June 2 in the Fayoum neighborhood of Cairo, near Shafiq's headquarters, ostensibly to denounce the fact that he will now face a runoff on June 3. Due to threats against the campaign headquarters, police had provided additional security for the building. The provision of a police truck and private security apparently did not prevent the mob from destroying the installation today.  The runoff election is due June 16-17.