LEAD: Egyptians divided on anniversary of revolt that ousted Mubarak

Jan 25, 2012, 17:30 GMT

Cairo - Tens of thousands of Egyptians on Wednesday marked the first anniversary of the revolution that ended the rule of Hosny Mubarak with a mass rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square, where political divisions between Islamists and liberals were exposed.

Liberals and secular Egyptians used the occasion to protest the ruling military's continued grip on power and its perceived attempts to interfere in the drafting of a new constitution to preserve its interests.

'Down with the Field Marshal,' liberal protesters chanted on one side of the square, referring to Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has been ruling Egypt since Mubarak was forced to step down on February 11.

'In fact, this is not the first anniversary of the revolution, simply because the revolution is not complete yet,' one protester said, brandishing photos showing demonstrators killed in clashes with police during last year's uprising.

'The current trials for Mubarak and tainted figures from his regime are meant to deceive the people,' he added.

Supporters of Islamist parties that now control two-thirds of parliament gathered on the other side of the square to celebrate the revolution that ended almost 30 years of Mubarak's rule.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which won 47 per cent of parliamentary seats in Egypt's first free elections, held over the last two months, are the biggest beneficiaries of the post-Mubarak era.

They and the Salafists, who follow a strict version of Islam and who won a quarter of the seats, now form a major political bloc.

Brotherhood supporters shouted Allah Akbar - God is great - as several religious leaders delivered speeches from loudspeakers.

Liberal and secular Egyptians say so long as the military is in power, the revolution will not have achieved its goal. They also hold the military responsible for a crackdown on protesters that killed some 90 people in the final months of 2011 and for the prosecution of some 12,000 civilians in military courts.

They are also concerned that Islamists would try to curtail freedoms.

Protesters held a black banner showing portraits of Mubarak; former interior minister Habib al-Adli; and Tantawi with nooses around their necks. Tantawi served as Mubarak's defence minister for 20 years.

The military rulers are eager to be granted immunity from prosecution for alleged violence against protesters under any new constitution.

Tensions were high between the two groups, with several brief brawls erupting. In one incident, a brawl broke out after Islamist demonstrators chanted in jubilation, angering secular anti-military activists.

A similar incident took place in the eastern Cairo district of Abassiya, where supporters of the military had a short fistfight with activists from a youth movement.

Protests were also held in other Egyptian cities. A mock trial for officials and policemen accused of killing protesters last year was held in the coastal city of Suez.

In Egypt's second-biggest city, Alexandria, protesters called on the military to hand over power to a civilian government.

Tantawi on Tuesday partially lifted unpopular emergency laws that had been in place for 30 years, in an apparent move to appease critics.