Students, guards clash at Cairo university

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CAIRO, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Students at the German University in Cairo were assaulted by security guards Saturday during a referendum on student union bylaws, student leaders said.

Guards tried to stop students from bringing glass ballot boxes to the campus, a business management student who did not want his name used told Ahram Online. The student said he was one of those injured in clashes with guards.

"We had to drop the boxes over the fence. A security guard caught one and threw it at a student," he said.

He said the head of security assaulted him and other students, including one woman.

The referendum, with voting set for Saturday and Sunday, is on bylaws aimed at giving the student union more independence from the university administration, leaders say. The business student said he was puzzled by the administration's attitude.

"They could have easily told us why the boxes were not permissible and we could have found an alternative instead of beating us," he said.

There have been protests in the past week at the American University in Cairo against proposed tuition increases. On Thursday, students blocked the entrance to the campus.