It was thus hardly surprising when Friday's protests became as much about fighting the police as they were about deposing Mubarak.

这就是反对者在周五要求穆巴拉克离职时与警察发生大规模冲突令人奇怪的原因，这些警察是穆巴拉克抵抗国内反对势力的第一道防线。