Armed forces ended late on Wednesday a sit-in by hundreds of citizens protesting against a Damietta factory they say is polluting the city.
Residents began protesting Tuesday, saying the government had failed to fulfill a promise to move the factory owned by Canadian Agrium out of Damietta when petroleum manufacturing company Mobco bought it in November 2008.
“They told us Agrium factory was moved out of Damietta. In 2011, after the revolution, we found out that we were deceived and that the factory wasn’t moved," protesters said in a statement.
“The committee formed to mull the region’s environmental status proved that this factory had caused people many diseases and dangerously affected man, animal, plant and fish resources,” the statement added.
Hundreds of citizens in Damietta Wednesday blocked roads leading to the Ras al-Barr and New Damietta cities, Damietta harbor and Mansoura. They set tires on fire and pitched tents on the road, in a protest against the establishment of a second phase of the Mobco-Agrium factory.
State-run news agency MENA said clashes erupted between protesters and security forces on Wednesday when the latter fired tear gas bombs to disperse protesters who hurled stones. Clashes left 10 injured from both sides. All were transferred to hospitals for treatment, according to MENA.
Damietta security chief Major General Tareq Hammad conducted negotiations with protesters and convinced them to end their sit-in by promising their demands will be reviewed by relevant authorities.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
