Egyptian troops injured eight protesters outside the Egyptian Defense Ministry’s building on Friday.

The crowd began throwing rocks at the soldiers who responded with tear gas and water cannons. The protesters attempted to cut through barbed wire that surrounded the defense ministry building along with ripping down a metal fence at a nearby construction site in an attempt to use it as a barricade.

The protesters were calling for the ousting of the military ruling council’s head, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.

The escalating violence continues as the first free elections in Egypt are three weeks away.