Ultra Violence

"A heavy cloud of tear gas hung over a Tahrir Square in revolt. Buckling under the pressure of thousands of protestors, the epicentre of the Egyptian revolution was unleashing a roar of resistance into the Cairo night. Against this backdrop of chaos and the sonic onslaught of revolution, one of my companions and I conducted a halting conversation about local football."

In Episode Twenty Eight, we look back at David Lynch's 'Ultra Violence' from Issue Four. Ultras have put aside their differences and united for the greater good in Cairo, but to what extent are they generals or just foot soldiers of the revolution?

After the horrors of the Port Said stadium disaster, in which 70 Al-Ahly fans died at the hands of Al-Masry fans (or instruments of the state - it's disputed), the role that the Cairene clubs' ultras played in the downfall of the Mubarak regime, and the 'second revolution' is much analysed.

David Lynch is an award winning journalist and author currently based in Cairo. His second book is 'A Divided Paradise: An Irishman in the Holy Land' (New Island). www.davidlynchwriter.com

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