An Egyptian man camps out in Cairo\'s Tahrir Square on Monday Egyptian pro-democracy activists on Tuesday called from a mass march in Cairo to push for political change, a day after the prime minister offered concessions which were criticised as falling short .
The march is to leave from Tahrir Square, epicentre of protests that toppled president Hosni Mubarak in February, at 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) headed for the cabinet headquarters, activists said on Facebook.
The call came as assailants armed with knives and sticks tried to attack protesters camped out in Tahrir Square, state television said.
\"Thugs tried to force their way into the square from four entrances, but were pushed back by protesters,\" state television said, reporting that eight people were lightly injured.
Protesters who first took to the streets to demand Mubarak\'s resignation have increasingly directed their anger at the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces which took power when the strongman was ousted.
The armed forces, which were hailed as heroes at the start of the January 25 uprising for not shooting protesters, have come under fire for using Mubarak-era tactics to stifle dissent and maintain an absolute and unchallenged grip on power.
On Monday, Sharaf ordered a government reshuffle within a week, as part of a series of measures aimed at placating protesters impatient with Sharaf\'s alleged weakness in the face of the military junta.
The prime minister also set a deadline of July 15 for the dismissal of policemen accused of killing protesters during the uprising, and called on the judiciary to proceed with open trials of former regime members.
His speech came as sit-ins continued in Cairo, Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast and the canal city of Suez, following nationwide rallies last Friday to demand political change.
Among protesters\' key demands are an end to military trials of civilians, the dismissal and prosecution of police officers accused of murder and torture -- before and after the revolution -- and open trials of former regime officials.