CAIRO, Jan 28, 2011 (AFP) - Egyptians staging anti-government protests on Friday vented anger at the fact that the tear gas security forces are firing at them is US-manufactured, probably part of a massive military aid package. "The American taxpayer should know how their money is being spent," shouted one young male protester who declined to give his name, brandishing a spent tear gas canister marked "Made in USA."
Dozens of the canisters made by Combined Tactical Systems in Jamestown, Pennsylvania, were fired at crowds on one Cairo street on Friday, littering the road surface along with rubble and spent shotgun cartridges.
Many protesters have been injured through tear gas inhalation and by being hit by the canisters themselves, with the security forces sometimes firing them straight at demonstrators.
At least eight people have died in four straight days of protests.
The United States gives key ally Egypt a massive 1.3 billion dollars (950 million euros) military aid package every year.
President Barack Obama's administration on Friday voiced "deep concern" over the protests, and urged Cairo to respect basic rights and avoid violence.
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