during the protests, the capitol city of cairo was described as "a war zone". in the port city of suez, there were many violent clashes. the egyptian government used different methods to try to break up and limit protests. anti-riot police groups used shields, rubber bullets, batons, water cannons, and tear gas. at times, they also used live ammunition. most of the police response to the protests was non-lethal. however, some people were killed. the government turned off internet access and set a curfew. the government argued that they needed to make sure there was as little disruption from the protests as possible. they said this was needed to keep order and to keep islamic fundamentalist groups from rising up.