Egypt: clashes erupted during pro-Morsy protests in Cairo and across the country

Egypt's Islamists protesting in Cairo
(Image: Ahram Online)

Egypt’s Islamist backed Alliance for Support of Legitimacy and also Muslim Brotherhood have been calling for the protests on Friday and on Sunday to commemorate the victims of the violent dispersal of two pro-Morsy sit-ins in Cairo’s Rabaa Al-Adawayea Square and Giza’s Nahda Square. These protests are expected to be held as 100 days anniversary since the dispersal.

The protests have started on Friday, 22 November, after Friday noon prayers. Several thousand protesters supporting Muslim Brotherhood and Mohamed Morsy have marched today in different districts of Cairo. The demonstrations have been held also in other Egyptian cities as well including Alexandria, Upper Egypt’s Assiut, Suez, several Delta cities and others.

Protesters have been holding the traditional Rabaa signs symbolizing the massacre of Islamist supporters during the violent dispersal of the Muslim Brotherhood’s sit-ins and the following crackdown of the Islamist forces in Egypt. They have been chanting against the ouster of Egypt’s former President Mohamed Morsy and demanded his reinstatement and protested against Egypt’s Armed Forces and its head General Abdel Fattah El-Sissi who became currently extremely popular figure among Egyptians with numerous speculations regarding the possibility of him running for the position of Egypt’s President.

Egypt’s Islamists accuse military and its supporters of plotting against the country’s legitimate President and government and of ouster of Mohamed Morsy what they consider being a “military coup”. Demonstrators have been also protesting against the current interim government and interim President of Egypt claiming their authority is illegal.

Though the marches of Muslim Brotherhood’s supporters to commemorate the victims of the sit-ins dispersal have turned violent as several clashes erupted between the supporters of Egypt’s Islamists and their opponents and also local residents and bystanders.

Egyptian Islamist protesters in Cairo
(Image: Voice of America)

Police and security forces have been deployed in the area of Cairo’s Rabaa Al-Adaweya and Giza’a Nahda Square in order to prevent organizing of the protests and sit-ins there, but the protesters have committed the attempts to get into the squares, so the clashes erupted also between the protesters and security forces.

The clashes resulted in several injuries among the supporters of Muslim Brotherhood. The situation though remains tense with the calls of Alliance for Support of Legitimacy for the massive demonstrators on Sunday.

Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of Egypt’s ousted President Mohamed Morsy have gathered on Cairo’s Rabaa Al-Adaweya Square in Nasr City and on Nahda Square in Giza after military gas ousted Mohamed Morsy with its decree following massive nationwide protests against his rule. Numerous sit-ins have been organized on the squares, but the participants of them didn’t reply to the calls of Egypt’s interim government to clear the square as those sit-ins were a threat to security of Egypt and its citizens. On 14 August 2013 security forces and military have violently dispersed two big sit-ins leaving more than 600 people dead and hundreds injured. Massive crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood has followed with the arrests of the Islamist group’s members including leading figures.

After arrests of the inspirational leaders if the group the numbers of the protesters gathered by the Islamist forces have significantly decreased, but the group and also Egypt’s ousted President Mohamed Morsy being currently imprisoned and facing the trial remain defiant.