American
among dead as Egypt violence rages on
Two
people, one an American, were killed when protesters stormed an
office of Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood in Alexandria on Friday,
adding to growing tension ahead of mass rallies aimed at unseating
the Islamist president
28
June, 2013
Leading
clerics warned of "civil war" after violence in the past
week that has left several dead and hundreds wounded. They backed
President Mohamed Mursi's offer to talk to opposition groups ahead of
Sunday's protests.
The
United Nations, European Union and United States have appealed for
restraint and urged Egypt's deadlocked political leaders to step back
from a confrontation threatening the new democracy that emerged from
the Arab Spring revolution of 2011.
The
Muslim Brotherhood said eight of its offices had been attacked on
Friday, including the one in Alexandria. Officials said more than 70
people had been injured in the clashes in the city. One was shot dead
and a young American man who was using a small camera died after
being stabbed in the chest.
A
Brotherhood member was also killed overnight in an attack on a party
office at Zagazig, in the heavily populated Nile Delta, where much of
the recent violence has been concentrated. Mursi's movement said five
supporters in all had died this week.
"Vigilance
is required to ensure we do not slide into civil war," said
clerics from Cairo's ancient Al-Azhar institute, one of the most
influential centers of scholarship in the Muslim world.
In
a statement broadly supportive of Mursi, they backed his offer of
dialogue and blamed "criminal gangs" who besieged mosques
for the violence. The Brotherhood warned of "dire consequences"
and "a violent spiral of anarchy".
It
accused liberal leaders, including former U.N. diplomat Mohamed
ElBaradei, of personally inciting violence by hired "thugs"
once loyal to ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak.
Opposition
leaders condemned the violence. The army, which has warned it could
intervene if political leaders lose control, issued a statement
saying it had deployed across the country to protect citizens and
installations of national importance.
In
the capital, Cairo, tens of thousands turned out for rival events
some miles apart and there was little trouble. An Islamist rally
included calls to reconciliation. On Tahrir Square, cradle of the
uprising against Mubarak, there was a festive atmosphere and a
determination to shake Mursi on Sunday.
In
Alexandria, as several thousand anti-Mursi protesters marched along
the seafront, a Reuters reporter saw about a dozen men throw rocks at
guards outside the Brotherhood office. They responded. Bricks and
bottles flew. Guns went off.
Officials
said dozens suffered birdshot injuries. The party office was
ransacked and documents were burned, watched by jubilant youths
chanting against Egypt's Islamist leaders.
In
Port Said, at the mouth of the Suez Canal, a man died in a blast
during an anti-Mursi protest. Police said they suspected an accident
with a gas canister but were still investigating.
CAIRO
CALM
Islamists
gathered round a Cairo mosque after weekly prayers to show support
for Mursi. His opponents hope millions will turn out on Sunday to
demand he step down, a year to the day after he was sworn in as
Egypt's first freely chosen leader.
Mursi,
backed by the Brotherhood, has dismissed such demands as an assault
on democracy, setting up an angry confrontation.
"I
came to support the legitimate order," said Ahmed al-Maghrabi,
37, a shopkeeper from the Nile Delta city of Mansoura whose hand bore
grazes from street fighting there this week. "I am with the
elected president. He needs to see out his term."
Some
speakers reflected fear and anger among Islamists that opponents aim
to suppress them as Mubarak did. But there was also talk from the
podium of the need for dialogue - a concern also of international
powers worried by the bitter polarization.
At
one point, a song was played praising unity among "Muslims and
Christians, Islamists and liberals" - a marked contrast to a
similar gathering in the same spot last Friday when hardliners warned
opponents against attacking Mursi.
Standing
above pictures of those killed, Abdel Rahman al-Barr, a Brotherhood
leader, said: "The only way forward is for us to sit down
together ... To those who smash a hole in the ship of state, we will
not respond by smashing another. We will work to repair the hole. We
will not let the ship sink."
A
few hundred opposition protesters gathered outside the presidential
palace, a focus for Sunday's rally. Mursi has moved elsewhere.
Thousands turned out after dark in Tahrir Square, waving national
flags and sampling street food.
Abdelhamid
Nada, a 32-year-old accountant, had come from the provinces with
eight friends to camp out "until Mursi goes". "The
Muslim Brotherhood has no plan at all," he said, standing by his
white tent. "They don't have any economic plan, they don't have
any social plan, they don't have any political plan."
He
expected no violence from Islamists on Sunday but added: "If
they are stupid enough to do it ... we will win."
STRATEGIC
The
army, which heeded mass protests in early 2011 to push Mubarak aside,
has warned it will intervene again if there is violence, and to
defend the "will of the people". Both sides believe that
means the military may support their positions.
The
United States, which funds Egypt's army as it did under Mubarak, has
urged compromise and respect for election results. Egypt's 84 million
people, its control of the Suez Canal and its peace treaty with
Israel all contribute to its global strategic importance.
U.N.
chief Ban Ki-moon urged Egyptians to respect "universal
principles of peaceful dialogue" and to strengthen their
democracy by promoting an "inclusive environment".
European
Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged all sides to keep
protests peaceful, build trust and show a "spirit of dialogue
and tolerance".
In
Alexandria, opposition marchers said they feared the Brotherhood was
usurping the revolution to entrench its power and Islamic law. Others
had economic grievances, among them huge lines for fuel caused by
supply problems and panic buying.
"I've
nothing to do with politics, but with the state we're in now, even a
stone would cry out," said 42-year-old accountant Mohamed Abdel
Latif. "There are no services, we can't find diesel or gasoline.
We elected Mursi, but this is enough.
"Let
him make way for someone else who can fix it."
It
is hard to gauge how many may turn out on Sunday but much of the
population, even those sympathetic to Islamic ideas, are frustrated
by the economic slump and many blame the government.
Previous
protest movements since the fall of Mubarak have failed to gather
momentum, however, among a population anxious for stability and
fearful of further economic hardship.
Clashes,
tear gas as massive protests grip Egypt amid 'growing security
crisis'
Tens
of thousands of supporters and opponents of President Morsi join
protests across Egypt with violent clashes between the rival parties
reported in Alexandria, where police used tear gas as at least two
people were killed and nearly 90 injured.
RT,
28
June, 2013
Security
forces used tear gas to break up clashes between rival protesters in
Alexandria, according to MENA news agency. According to Minister of
Health Mohamed Mostafa Hamed, 88 people were injured there. One man
died after being shot into the head.
Supporters
of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi and anti-Mursi protesters clash
in Sedy Gaber in Alexandria, June 28, 2013. (Reuters)
Egyptian
officials have confirmed that a US citizen was killed in the
violence, reportedly having been stabbed in the chest. His identity
remains unconfirmed. RT’s Bel Trew says that according to reports,
the American was a teacher who may have gone to the clashes to film
them as part of a project.
"There
were two deaths - an Egyptian, and an American who was wounded during
the events. He was filming," said General Amin Ezzeddin, a
senior Alexandria security official.
Following
the news the US State Department has warned Americans against all but
essential travel to Egypt and said it would allow some nonessential
staff and the families of personnel at the US Embassy in Cairo to
leave the country.
Thomas
Callahan
The
Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Alexandria were stormed by
anti-Morsi demonstrators and set on fire, local media reported.
Overall,
more than 160 people got injured across the country, with at least 32
people sustaining wounds in clashes in Dakahlia Governorate,
according to local media.
Both
President Morsi’s supporters and opponents had been planning their
rallies on Friday, while the wider opposition coalition is also
expected to bring millions out on Sunday, calling for new elections.
"We
are confident the Egyptian masses will go out in their millions in
Egypt's squares and streets on June 30 to confirm their will to get
the January 25 revolution back on track," the liberal opposition
coalition said.
RT’s
correspondent in Egypt Bel Trew reported that “the country is
worried that there will be further violence after several days of
clashes between rival groups, demonstrating either in support of the
president or against him.”
In
the capital, thousands of people marched towards Tahrir Square,
chanting slogans against President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Marches in Cairo originated from Mostafa Mahmoud Square, Sayeda
Zeinab, Al-Azhar Mosque and Shubra, Ahram Online reports.
In
the light of the rallies, local residents have been withdrawing cash,
queuing outside petrol stations and stocking up on food, according to
AFP. Many companies said they would close on the first day of the
working week in Egypt, Sunday, when the large-scale opposition rally
is due to take place.
The
army, which helped protesters overthrow previous President Hosni
Mubarak, has warned that it could step back in to impose order should
violence spin out of control.
“Protest
comes amidst a growing security crisis across the country. We’ve
already seen several people die, hundreds injured in the days leading
up to the protests. We’re seeing an increase of civilians armed and
bringing those weapons to protests which has led many to call for the
army to step in and secure the nation,” Bel Trew added.
Earlier
this week one man was shot dead and four wounded in an attack on a
provincial party office, Egypt's ruling Muslim Brotherhood said. The
incident, which took place north of Cairo, raised the death toll to
five in factional fighting that also left many injured over the past
week, with fears of wider violence during the upcoming protests, two
years after the Arab Spring revolution that ousted Mubarak.
Egypt's
leading religious authority warned of "civil war" and
called for calm in response to the death of the member of the ruling
Muslim Brotherhood, Reuters reported.
"Vigilance
is required to ensure we do not slide into civil war," Al-Azhar
clerical institution said in a statement reported by state media.
The
Arab world's most influential and one of the largest Islamic
movements, the Muslim Brotherhood, has slammed activists campaigning
to force the fifth president of Egypt, 61-year-old Morsi, to resign
as he celebrates his first year in office.
On
Thursday, the opposition National Salvation Front coalition refused
Morsi’s offer to cooperate on reforms to end a political deadlock
that has driven the biggest Arab nation into economic crisis, and
called instead for an early presidential election.
Morsi’s
critics primarily see him as a Muslim Brotherhood delegate,
appointing Islamists in key positions, returning Egypt to
authoritarianism.
“I
think it goes without saying, and Morsi himself has partially
admitted it, that he has disappointed people. As far as those people
who helped to bring Mubarak down or a sizable section of them he’s
changed absolutely nothing since he came to power and these protests
are to show that the democratic fig leaf is not enough. So what will
happen on Sunday will be quite decisive,” author and journalist
Tariq Ali told RT.
Ali
says Egypt is divided between those who seek an evolution towards
democracy, and those who are still in the mind-set of the old regime.
“It’s
not the case that he [Morsi] is bereft of support, it’s just that
the country is now very sharply divided between those who want some
meaningful change and he government which is maintaining continuity
with the previous regime and in some instances getting worse.”
Morsi’s
Islamist supporters emphasize that he derives his authority from the
first free presidential election in Egypt’s history, and that the
challenges he faces, namely corrupt and inefficient institutions,
economic woes and religious strife have all been inherited.
In
a televised speech on Wednesday, Morsi warned that political
polarization threatened to “paralyze” Egypt.
He
has also admitted making mistakes and pledged to correct them.
“I
have made many mistakes, there is no question. Mistakes can happen,
but they need to be corrected,” he said.
Morsi
threatened legal action against several prominent figures, claiming
some judges were obstructing him, and accused liberal media owners of
bias.
Shortly
afterwards, he publicly accused the owner of CBC television of tax
evasion, Mohamed Amin found he was barred from leaving the country.
"This is dictatorship," his lawyer told Reuters.
Officials
also ordered the arrest of a talk show host on another channel and
the station to be shut down for inciting mutiny in the army and for
insulting the armed forces and the police.
Last
week, tens of thousands of Islamists got together, chanting for Morsi
and Islamic law, calling the turnout proof that he enjoys mass
support and accusing the opposition of being remnants of Mubarak’s
regime.
From
al-Jazeera
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