Egyptian military police beat protesters camped outside government offices Saturday near Tahrir Square, after a midnight curfew took effect.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered in the central Cairo square throughout the day on Friday, ABC News reported. Demonstrators vowed to continue the revolution and called for the dismissal of Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, among others.
Some 150 of the protesters made preparations to spend the night, hoping to pressure officials into additional reforms. Among their demands were the ouster of the remaining members of the former regime of ex-President Hosni Mubarak.
Both uniformed and plainclothes security personnel moved in after midnight, beating young protesters, firing in the air and launching tear gas canisters at the crowd.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces later issued an apology, saying “what happened late Friday was the result of unintentional confrontations between the military police and the youth of the revolution.” The military council added that it “did not and will not issue orders to attack the youth, and all measures will be taken to ensure this will not happen again.”
Demonstrators are vowing to continue the Friday protests until the country's emergency laws are repealed, and all political prisoners are freed. Another demonstration is planned for next Friday.
Since Mubarak was toppled from power earlier this month, both parliamentary houses were disbanded by the military. Elections are to be held within six months.
The military has also promised to uphold constitutional reforms that were put into place prior to Mubarak's fall.