Showing posts with label Morsi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Morsi. Show all posts

Tuesday, 16 July 2013

Egypt: U.S. envoy spurned by both parties


This is the real news. United States foreign policy, prestige and political influence is eroding faster than the land under an Arkansas fracking site. This is what the over-hyped frenzy over the George Zimmerman verdict is diverting people's attention away from.
--- Mike Ruppert

Egypt: U.S. envoy spurned by both parties
Police fired tear gas in central Cairo on Monday when protesters calling for the reinstatement of the ousted Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi, scuffled with drivers and passers-by annoyed that they had blocked major roads.


15 July, 2013


Supporters of Mursi, Egypt's first freely elected president, threw rocks at police near Ramses Street, one of the capital's main thoroughfares, and on the Sixth of October Bridge over the Nile in the first outbreak of violence in Egypt in a week.

"It's the army against the people, these are our soldiers, we have no weapons," said Alaa el-Din, a 34-year-old computer engineer, clutching a laptop.
"The army is killing our brothers, you are meant to defend me and you are attacking me. The army turned against the Egyptian people."
While smaller in scale and more localized than previous clashes since Mursi was deposed by the military on July 3, scenes of running street battles will raise further concerns over stability in the Arab world's most populous country.
Eye witnesses said thousands of pro-Mursi demonstrators were in the area and police had used tear gas several times to try to control the crowd. A large fire was burning on the bridge, although the cause was not immediately clear.
The clashes came as the first senior U.S. official to visit Egypt since Mursi was toppled was snubbed by both Islamists and their opponents.
Large crowds mobilized by Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood movement gathered at various points in the city, including outside the Rabaa Adawiya mosque where they have held a three-week vigil, and at Cairo University.
The army warned demonstrators on Monday that it would respond with "the utmost severity and firmness and force" if they approached military bases.
At least 92 people were killed in the days after Mursi was toppled, more than half of them shot by troops outside a barracks near the mosque a week ago.
Protests since then had been tense but peaceful until Monday evening's developments.

U.S. ENVOY SHUNNED
The crisis in Egypt, which has a peace treaty with Israel and controls the strategic Suez Canal, has alarmed allies in the region and the West.
After meeting interim head of state Adli Mansour and Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns insisted he was not in town "to lecture anyone".
He arrived in a divided capital where both sides are furious at the United States, which supports Egypt with $1.5 billion a year in mostly military aid.
"Only Egyptians can determine their future. I did not come with American solutions. Nor did I come to lecture anyone," Burns told a brief news conference. "We will not try to impose our model on Egypt."
Washington, never comfortable with the rise of Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, has so far refused to say whether it views Mursi's removal as a coup, which would require it to halt aid.
The State Department said Burns would meet "civil society groups" as well as government officials. But the Islamist Nour Party and the Tamarud anti-Mursi protest movement both said they had turned down invitations to meet him.
"First, they (the Americans) need to acknowledge the new system," Tamarud founder Mahmoud Badr said. "Secondly, they must apologize for their support for the Muslim Brotherhood's party and terrorism. Then we can think about it," he told Reuters.
In a further slight, Badr posted a copy of his invitation, including the U.S. embassy's telephone number, on the Internet.
Nour, sometime allies of Mursi's Brotherhood who have accepted the army takeover, said they had rejected meeting Burns because of "unjustified" U.S. meddling in Egypt's affairs.
The Brotherhood said it had no meeting planned with Burns, although it did not make clear if it had been invited.
"America are the ones who carried out the military coup," Farid Ismail, a senior official in the Brotherhood's political arm, told Reuters. "We do not kneel for anyone, and we do not respond to pressure from anyone."
If Burns had driven through the city centre a few miles away, he might have seen a giant banner with a portrait of U.S. ambassador Anne Patterson and the message "Go home, witch!" hung by Mursi's opponents.
INCOMMUNICADO
Mursi is being held incommunicado at an undisclosed location. He has not been charged with a crime but the authorities say they are investigating him over complaints of inciting violence, spying and wrecking the economy. Scores of Mursi supporters were rounded up after violence last week.
Many of the top Brotherhood figures have been charged with inciting violence but have not been arrested and are still at large. The public prosecutors' office announced new charges against seven Brotherhood and Islamist leaders on Monday.
Beblawi has been naming ministers for his interim cabinet, including a former ambassador to the United States as foreign minister, a sign of the importance Cairo places in its relationship with its superpower sponsor.
U.S.-educated economist Ahmed Galal, as finance minister, has the task of rescuing an economy and state finances wrecked by two and a half years of turmoil.
That task became easier, at least in the short term, after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait - rich Gulf Arab states happy at the downfall of the Brotherhood - promised a total of $12 billion in cash, loans and fuel.
The new planning minister, Ashraf al-Arabi, said the Arab money would be enough to sustain Egypt through its transition period and it did not need to restart talks with the International Monetary Fund.
Egypt had sought $4.8 billion in IMF aid last year, but months of talks ran aground with the government unable to agree cuts in unaffordable subsidies for food and fuel. Arabi's comments could worry investors who want the IMF to spur reform.

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Thursday, 4 July 2013

BREAKING: Military Coup in Egypt

Egypt coup ditches Morsi
Egypt's military has overthrown the country's embattled president, Mohammed Morsi, and called early elections.


4 July, 2013

Morsi has been replaced by the chief justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court, Adli Mansour, while the army has also suspended the Islamist-backed constitution.

Army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, in a televised address to the nation early today (NZ time), said a government of technocrats will be appointed to run the country during a transition period he did not specify.

Military and judicial sources have said Mansour will be sworn in as interim head of state tonight (NZ time).

An aide of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, Ayman Ali, said the former leader has been moved to an undisclosed location. He gave no details.

A statement on the Egyptian president's office's Twitter account has quoted Morsi as calling military measures "a full coup."

The denouncement was posted shortly after the Egyptian military announced it was ousting Morsi, who was Egypt's first freely elected leader but drew ire with his Islamist leanings.

Morsi was quoted as saying those measures "represent a full coup categorically rejected by all the free men of our nation."

After the televised announcement by the army chief, millions of anti-Morsi protesters in cities around the country erupted in delirious scenes of joy, with shouts of "God is great" and "Long live Egypt."

Fireworks burst over crowds dancing and waving flags in Cairo's Tahrir Square, epicentre of the 2011 uprising that ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak. Now it was one of multiple centres of a stunning four-day anti-Morsi revolt that brought out the biggest anti-government rallies Egypt has seen, topping even those of 2011.

Egypt's second-biggest Islamist party added this morning (NZ time) it had agreed to an army political "road map" that suspends the constitution so that the country can avoid conflict.

"We took this position and we took these decisions only so we stop the bloodshed of our people," Galal Murra, Nour's secretary general, said in a televised broadcast.

However, Morsi supporters in Cairo were heard shouting "No to military rule."

In another development, the television station of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has been taken off air and its managers arrested.

The Egypt25 channel had been broadcasting live coverage of rallies by tens of thousands of pro-Mursi demonstrators in Cairo and around the country, with speeches by leading Brotherhood politicians denouncing the military intervention to oust the elected president.

Meanwhile, two US officials say that Egyptian defence leaders have assured the US that they are not interested in a long-term rule.

The official says the leaders, in calls with US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, pledged to put a civilian government in place quickly.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak on the record about the matter.

Non-essential US diplomats and the families of all American Embassy personnel have been ordered to leave Egypt by the US State Department.

An official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorised to discuss it publicly, said the State Department had placed the US Embassy in Cairo on "ordered departure" status for non-emergency staff and dependents all employees. That means that those covered by the order are required to leave the country. It was not immediately clear if an evacuation operation would be mounted or if those departing would use commercial airlines or passenger ships to leave.

The Arab world's most populous nation has been in turmoil since the fall of Mubarak as Arab Spring uprisings took hold in early 2011, arousing concern among allies in the West and in Israel, with which Egypt has a 1979 peace treaty.

The elected Muslim Brotherhood president, in office for just a year, remained out of sight in a Republican Guard barracks surrounded by barbed wire, barriers and troops, but military sources denied media reports that he was under arrest.

"For the sake of Egypt and for historical accuracy, let's call what is happening by its real name: military coup," Morsi's national security adviser Essam El-Haddad said in a statement, warning of "considerable bloodshed" to come.

Another presidential aide, Yasser Haddara, said it was unclear whether Morsi was free to return to the palace where he spent the previous night. His message to supporters was to resist the "military coup" peacefully and not use violence against troops, police or other Egyptians.

Military chiefs, vowing to restore order in a country racked by protests over Morsi's Islamist policies, earlier issued a call to battle in a statement headlined "The Final Hours". They said they were willing to shed blood against "terrorists and fools" after Morsi refused to give up his elected office.

Military chiefs also said the entire senior leadership of his Muslim Brotherhood were banned from leaving the country.

Security sources told Reuters the authorities had sent a list of at least 40 leading members of the Brotherhood to airport police.

As the ultimatum expired, hundreds of thousands of anti-Morsi protesters in Tahrir Square in central Cairo let off fireworks, cheered and waved Egyptian flags in celebration.

US oil prices rose to a 14-month high above US$100 a barrel partly on fears that unrest in Egypt could destabilise the Middle East and lead to supply disruption.

The massive protests showed that the Brotherhood had not only alienated liberals and secularists by seeking to entrench Islamic rule, notably in a new constitution, but had also angered millions of Egyptians with economic mismanagement.

Tourism and investment have dried up, inflation is rampant and fuel supplies are running short, with power cuts lengthening in the summer heat and motorists spending hours fuelling cars.


From al-Jazeera






Since the ouster of Mubarak al-Jazeera has lost all credibility as an 'objective' news source by supporting the Jihadists in Syria and the Muslim Brotherhood. It has taken a consistent anti-Iranian and anti-Russian stance and stands with western outlets like CNN etc.

 Al Jazeera, other TV stations forced off air in Egypt


RT,
4 July, 2013

Al Jazeera’s Egyptian broadcast has been taken off the air. Both Reuters and Al Jazeera itself reported that security forces raided Cairo offices and detained at least five staff members.


 Karim El-Assiuti has told Reuters his colleagues at the Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr channel were arrested while working at their studio. The station was prevented from broadcasting from a pro-Morsi rally, and a broadcasting crew was detained. 

 Ayman Mohyeldin, a Foreign Correspondent for NBC News, reported via Twitter that security personnel entered the broadcaster's offices overlooking Tahrir square looking for Al Jazeera journalists. 


Ayman Mohyeldin        
✔
@AymanM

Читать


Just had a group of men come to our office overlooking #Tahrir looking for Al Jazeera journalists @NBCNews @AJArabic @AJEnglish @SherineT
10:15 утра - 4 июля 2013

212 РЕТВИТОВ 14 ИЗБРАННЫХ

The Qatari-owned Egyptian arm for Al Jazeera first began broadcasting following the 2011 toppling of former president Hosni Mubarak. It has since then been accused by Egypt’s opposition of being sympathetic to Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. 

 Al Jazeera's live Egypt broadcast was on air as the country’s security forces stormed the office arresting the presenter, guests and producers while they were off camera, as can be heard in the audio of the YouTube clip below:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRj2cw5Q7L4&feature=player_embedded


From earlier-

Egypt’s ‘full military coup:’ How it happened

An Egyptian army helicopter flies over protesters calling for the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square on July 3, 2013 (AFP Photo / Gianluigi Guercia)


RT,
3 July, 2013

A military coup is underway in Egypt, according to Mohamed Morsi's national security adviser and a Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson. Security forces have placed a travel ban on Morsi and a number of top Brotherhood officials, according to AFP sources.

Watch RT's LIVE FEED from Cairo and follow the LATEST UPDATES 
Security sources told Reuters that authorities had sent a list of at least 40 leading members of the Brotherhood to airport police.
Egyptian troops, including commandos, are deploying at key sites and intersections throughout Egypt, including Suez and the highway to Alexandria. Several hundred soldiers, together with armored vehicles are taking part in a military parade on the road near the presidential palace, a witness told Reuters. The army reportedly erected barbed wire and barriers around the barracks where Morsi was working.
National security adviser Essam El-Haddad said that "no military coup can succeed in the face of sizeable popular force without considerable bloodshed." He added that he expects army and police violence to remove pro-Mursi demonstrators from the streets of Cairo. 
Troops have moved into place near the Rabaa Adaweya mosque area, where tens of thousands of supporters of Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood are rallying in support of the president, a Reuters journalist reported. But the Egyptian army denied that it was moving in on Morsi supporters, saying "The Egyptian army belongs to all Egyptians." 
A presidential aide said it was unclear if the president would be free to leave later to return to the palace. He added that Morsi's message to all Egyptians is to resist the military coup peacefully without using violence. 


Military vehicles heading in direction of pro Morsi rally ‪pic.twitter.com/74n7NBWlpc



345 РЕТВИТОВ 23 ИЗБРАННЫХ


Morsi won't step down, proposes unity govt

Morsi has offered a consensus government as a way out of the country's crisis, but offered no new compromises. The leader has refused to step down, and instructed the military not to "take sides."
The proposed coalition government would include a Prime Minister elected by political powers, according to a presidential statement. The statement added that "the scenario that some parties are trying to impose is rejected by the people." 


Crowds cheer as army copter flies over prez palace protesters who are already celebrating:they believe they've won ‪pic.twitter.com/ut9gip1Yek


38 РЕТВИТОВ 8 ИЗБРАННЫХ


The military ultimatum given to President Mohamed Morsi has come and gone, as hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets. Morsi previously rejected the deadline, which gave him 48 hours to meet the demands of the people before facing army intervention. 
Just before the afternoon deadline imposed by the military expired, Morsi again rejected army intervention. The leader said that abiding by his electoral legitimacy was the only way to prevent violence. He criticized the military for "taking only one side."
"One mistake that cannot be accepted, and I say this as president of all Egyptians, is to take sides," Morsi said in a  statement issued by his office. "Justice dictates that the voice of the masses from all squares should be heard."
The meeting between Commander-In-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Abdul Fatah Khalil Al-Sisi, and political forces is still ongoing, Al Arabiya reports. The most important issue being discussed is reportedly that of sending reassuring messages to the Brotherhood's leaders.
The two sides seem unwilling to budge, with protesters stating that Morsi and his Brotherhood party are pushing an Islamist agenda on Egypt.


Protesters on ‪#tahrir are chanting "People and police are one hand" ‪#egypt ‪#egyptianrevolution2013
18 РЕТВИТОВ 3 ИЗБРАННЫХ

The Tamarod movement has called on Egyptians to take to the streets and squares immediately, and to listen to the army's speech.
The Brotherhood says the army’s actions amount to a coup and says that its members are ready to become martyrs to defend the president.

This combo image shows: Egyptian protesters calling for the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi (Top) and Egyptian supporters of President Mohamed Morsi (Bottom) (AFP Photo)

"There is only one thing we can do: we will stand in between the tanks and the president," Gehad El-Haddad, the MB official spokesman, told Reuters on Wednesday.
"We will not allow the will of the Egyptian people to be bullied again by the military machine." 


Egypt's army are discussing a new government with the prime minister until the next period of elections ‪#egypt ‪#egyptianrevolution2013
19 РЕТВИТОВ 1 ИЗБРАННОЕ


Morsi believes it would be better to die “standing like a tree,” defending the electoral legitimacy of his office, than to go down in history as having destroyed Egyptians’ hopes for democracy, presidential spokesperson Ayman Ali said, as quoted by Reuters. 
Transitional period, then elections

Egypt's state news agency MENA says a short transitional period will be followed by presidential and parliamentary elections.
The country's leading Muslim and Christian clerics and the leader of the liberal opposition alliance Mohamed El-Baradei will jointly present a roadmap for a political transition shortly. Army generals will be present at the announcement, along with members of the Tamarud youth protest movement. 

The clerics would be the Grand Sheikh of Cairo's Al-Azhar institution, a leading authority in the Muslim world, and Pope Tawadros, the head of the Coptic Church and leader of Egypt's millions of Christians.
Army sources had previously said the army would issue a statement after the deadline expires at about 5 p.m. (1500 GMT) but no time has yet been set for official statements, according to the Facebook page of Egyptian military spokesman Col. Ahmad Muhammad Ali.
At least 39 people have died since anti-Morsi protests began on Sunday. A night of deadly clashes in Cairo on Tuesday night claimed the lives of at least 16 people, most of whom died in a single incident near Cairo University.
The Brotherhood blamed police for the shooting. The Interior Ministry said it was investigating and the governor of the Giza province, where the clash occurred, submitted his resignation


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Tuesday, 2 July 2013

Commentary on Egyptian protests

Egyptian Army Threatens Coup Against President Morsi



As millions take to the street across Egypt calling for President's ouster, the Army threatens to take action if Morsi fails to reach agreement with protestors in 48 hours



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Egypt

Egyptian ministers resign in wave as Army deadline nears
Egyptian foreign minister Kamel Amr became the sixth minister to tender his resignation from the Morsi government on Monday. Amr follows the ministers for tourism, environment, communications and legal affairs and water utilities.


RT,
2 July, 2013



Follow RT's LIVE UPDATES on protests in Egypt


Egypt’s state news agency MENA reported that millions have staged demonstrations against President Mohamed Morsi’s government since Sunday. Prior to Amr’s resignation, the other four ministers had stated that their move came as an act of “solidarity with the people’s demand to overthrow the regime.”

Mourad Ali, a spokesman for the ruling Muslim Brotherhood party, said the government has rejected a 48-hour deadline imposed by Egypt’s army, during which time Morsi’s government is intended to reconcile with protesters and end widescale public unrest. According to a report by AlHayat TV, Ali said that the armed forces has no right to set ultimatums for the country’s government.

The ultimatum calls on the Morsi government to “meet the demands of the people” by Wednesday evening or face the military’s intervention in restoring order. The statement, which was broadcast nationwide on radio and television media, the military referred to its deadline as “a final chance to shoulder the burden of a historic moment in our country.”

Tourism minister Hisham Zazou had first offered his resignation only last month, following the appointment of Adel al-Khayat, a member of an islamist party, as governor of Luxor. That particular group has been linked to the murder of tourists in that city. Khayat later resigned his position.

Zazou, along with Communications and IT Minister Atef Helmi, Minister for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Hatem Bagato, Environment Minister Khaled Abdel-Aal and Water Minister Abdel Qawy Khalifa together submitted their letters of resignation to Prime Minister Hisham Qandil.

Egypt’s interior ministry estimated the number of protesters on Sunday to be between 14 and 17 million. The mass rallies were the culmination of frustrations over what those at the demos said was Morsi’s failure to tackle a serious economic situation as well as continuing security problems since assuming office a year ago.

In Cairo the official building of the Muslim Brotherhood was set ablaze just after crowds had stormed and looted the building. The interior ministry said that eight people had been killed in the violence on Sunday


From earlier -


Egypt army gives Mursi 48 hours to share power
Egypt's armed forces handed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi a virtual ultimatum to share power on Monday, giving feuding politicians 48 hours to compromise or have the army impose its own road map for the country.




1 July, 2013

A dramatic military statement broadcast on state television declared the nation was in danger after millions of Egyptians took to the streets on Sunday to demand that Mursi quit and the headquarters of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood were ransacked.

The generals' intervention was greeted with delight among protesters in the streets - and muted dismay by Islamists.

Since the fall of Hosni Mubarak as the Arab Spring revolutions took hold more than two years ago, the Arab world's most populous nation has remained in turmoil, arousing concern among allies in the West and in neighboring Israel, with which Egypt has had a peace treaty since 1979.

Mursi's allies were angry: "The age of military coups is over," said the Brotherhood's Yasser Hamza. Mohamed El-Beltagy said Islamists would take to the streets to show their strength. Mursi himself did not respond all day.

Crowds in Cairo's Tahrir Square cheered when a flight of military helicopters swooped overhead trailing national flags. Silhouetted against the sunset, it was a powerful illustration of the military's desire to be seen in tune with the people.

"If the demands of the people are not realized within the defined period, it will be incumbent upon (the armed forces) ... to announce a road map for the future," the chief of staff, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, said in the statement. It was followed by martial music.

The people had expressed their will with unprecedented clarity in the mass demonstrations, he said, and wasting more time would only increase the danger of division and strife.

The army said it would oversee the implementation of the road map it sought "with the participation of all factions and national parties, including young people," but it would not get directly involved in politics or government.

Mursi's office said later the president met Sisi and Prime Minister Hisham Kandil, releasing a picture of them seated together smiling, but did not respond to the military statement.

Anti-Mursi demonstrators outside the presidential palace cheered the army statement, and the main opposition National Salvation Front, which has demanded a national unity government for months, applauded the military's move. Spokesman Khaled Dawoud made clear there would be no talks with Mursi - he must quit and, once the 48 hours were up, they would deal with Sisi.

On Tahrir Square, thousands celebrated the army's move with a fervor that recalled its unsentimental removal of Mubarak at the end of 18 days of protests and bloodshed: "We want a new armed forces council to govern until new elections," said accountant Mohamed Ibrahim, 50. "The army alone supports the legitimate revolutionary will of the people."

Amr Moussa, a liberal politician and former foreign minister who stood in last year's presidential election, said, "The invitation to meet the demands of the people within the next few hours is a historic opportunity which should not be lost."

It was the second time in just over a week that the armed forces had issued a formal warning to the politicians, piling pressure on Mursi to concede power-sharing.

Analysts said the military intervention could serve Mursi if he wished to compromise, but it risked emboldening his opponents to harden their demands, at the risk of triggering a coup.

"The ultimatum has the ring of a potential coup," said Yasser al-Shimy of the International Crisis Group think tank.

"What makes it not a coup is it gives time for the politicians to sort out their differences."

The second biggest Islamist group in parliament, the Nour Party, said it feared the return of army rule "in a big way" and urged Mursi to compromise with his opponents.

A later military statement denied the move was a "coup" and was only a response to the "pulse of the Egyptian street."

The armed forces have influenced Egyptian politics since army officers staged the overthrow of the monarchy in 1952.

They also receive significant funding from the United States, whose top military officer, General Martin Dempsey, called the chief of staff of Egypt's armed forces on Monday morning, a U.S. defense official told Reuters, without giving details of the conversation.

SELF-DEFENCE?

After the destruction of its offices, the Brotherhood, which operated underground until the overthrow of Mubarak in 2011, said it was considering how best to defend itself.

Mursi supporters congregated near a Cairo mosque that has been their focus for the past 10 days. Some were bitter at the irony of liberal leaders embracing the army.

"The world always thought we Islamists didn't believe in democracy," said Hassan al-Sherbeny. "Now Islamists are teaching Egyptians democracy while the liberals are giving up democracy.

"And where is the world's reaction to all that?"

In a formal joint response to Sisi's statement, Islamist groups including the Brotherhood were careful not to criticize the army itself, instead saying that their political opponents were trying to manipulate it in a way that would lead to a coup.

Five non-Brotherhood government ministers tendered their resignations from the Cabinet, apparently in sympathy with the protesters, underlining a sense of isolation for the party that won a series of elections last year but has failed to build out alliances to form a broader consensus.

"Both sides are still in their trenches," a senior European diplomat said just before the military statement.

Eight people died in a night of fighting around the Brotherhood headquarters, where guards fired on youths hurling rocks and fire bombs. A Brotherhood official said two of its members were hurt. Eight other people were killed and 731 injured in clashes around the country on Sunday.

Unknown attackers also fire bombed the headquarters of the moderate Islamist Wasat party allied with the Brotherhood. The party called in a statement for dialogue among all parties.

Security sources said security forces arrested 15 bodyguards of Brotherhood deputy leader Khairat El-Shater after an exchange of gunfire with them outside his home. The guards are suspected of illegal possession of firearms used in the shooting at the movement's headquarters, the sources said.

The Brotherhood's political wing denied the arrests, saying only Shater's driver had been "kidnapped".

The Brotherhood's official spokesman told Reuters that the attack on its headquarters had crossed a red line of violence and among possible responses might be to revive "self-defense committees" former during the 2011 uprising.

"The people will not sit silent," Gehad El-Haddad said.

Mursi's movement complained about the lack of police protection, which can only heighten its sense of being under siege from both the liberal opposition and state officialdom inherited from the old government.

NOT TALKING

Mursi, who has not appeared in person, earlier renewed offers via allies of dialogue and pledged to work with a new parliament if disputes over election rules can be ironed out. But he has so far offered no substantial concessions.

The opposition does not trust the Islamist movement, which critics accuse of using a series of electoral victories to monopolize power. They want a total reset of the rules of a democracy imperfectly worked out over the past two years.

The massive protests showed that the Brotherhood had not only alienated liberals and secularists by seeking to entrench Islamic rule, notably in a new constitution, but had also angered millions of Egyptians with economic mismanagement.

Tourism and investment have dried up, inflation is rampant and fuel supplies are running short, with power cuts lengthening in the summer heat and motorists spending hours fuelling cars.

The cost of insuring government debt against default surged to record highs. Forward contracts indicated a significant fall for the pound against the dollar.

Some uniformed policemen marched among protesters in Cairo and Alexandria, chanting, "The police and the people are one," and several senior officers addressed the Tahrir Square crowd. An independent police association said it stood with demonstrators and would not let them down.


The United States and the European Union have urged Mursi to share power with the opposition, saying only a national consensus can help Egypt

Storming the Muslim Botherhood HQ

Egyptian protesters again stormed the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo after a night of massive protests. Witnesses reported ransacking of the HQ, including throwing things out of the windows and leaving with furniture and other items. There were no Brotherhood members inside the building, AFP reported.




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