CAIRO: The two forces lined up facing each other inside Ain Shams university campus, the space between them shrinking until the moment of engagement.

When they both charged, scores of pro-government students, with the help of plainclothes security personnel, claimed a swift victory. They pelted their unarmed rivals of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's biggest opposition group, with twisted pieces of metal, empty bottles and Molotov cocktails.

Ibrahim Sobhi was one of the first casualties, suffering a cut in his back, according to witnesses and a video of the protest filmed by Brotherhood loyalists. Eighteen of his colleagues, all wearing orange bandannas and chanting “God is great”, were also injured, activists and security sources said.

“It was a battle,” said Mohamed Suleiman, who filmed the incident with his video camera.

It was also the latest evidence of a widespread government crackdown on all forms of opposition, dispelling expectations of more political freedoms that surfaced before Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential elections in 2005, analysts say.

The Brotherhood students were part of a “free” student union elected after its members were barred from vying in the official polls in universities nationwide. The government says the new body is illegal and has accused the banned Islamist group of instigating last week's clashes at Ain Shams University.

“The regime has engaged in disputes with all parts of society: students, university professors, journalists and judges,” said Mohamed Habib, the Brotherhood deputy leader.

The government prevented Brotherhood members from running in trade union elections.

—Reuters