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| Egyptian pro-Muslim Brotherhood protesters clashed with security forces during Friday rallies (Image: AFP) |
Egyptian Islamists and Alliance for Support of Legitimacy calling for
Mohamed Morsy’s reinstatement as Egypt’s President have called for the massive
rallies to be held on Friday, 3 January, in order to protest the recent decisions
of the military backed interim government and calling for boycotting of the
upcoming national referendum on the amended Constitution.
Demonstrations have been held all over the country and started early on
Friday. Police and security forces in their turn have been deployed in Cairo
and other cities as well, blocking some important roads and sites of protests.
Thus, Cairo Tahrir Square was blocked by security forces, Ak-Nahda and Rabaa
Al-Adaweya Squares, two sites of Islamist sit-ins after Mohamed Morsy’s ouster
in June 2013, have been blocked as well. Armored vehicles, tanks and additional
troops have arrived in the city n order to maintain order and prevent possible
clashes.
Despite heavy security measures violent clashes erupted between the
pro-Morsy protesters, local residents and security forces. Violence erupted in
Cairo, Alexandria, Suez, Ismailia, Fayoum, Minya and many other cities as well
with the protesters clashing with the policemen and security forces, throwing
stones and rocks, using Molotov cocktails and damaging several police and civil
cars as well. There were reports that a bus and several cars in Cairo’s Nasr
City have been damaged due to the clashes.
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| Clashes erupted in Egypt nationwide during Islamist protests (Image: BBC) |
Security forces used teargas and birdshots in order to disperse the
crowds. Al-Azhar University students’, who continue their demonstrations during
more than week, have been also taking part in Friday clashes, thus police has
entered university campus and interfered there as well. Some protesters were throwing
Molotov cocktails and shooting, they’ve also set on fire several university
buildings.
Thus clashes and confrontations erupted in several districts of Cairo
and in other Egyptian cities as well, but police managed to disperse them
relatively fast.
Ministry of Health though reports about 11 people dead as a result for
the violent clashes and dozens wounded. Representatives of Alliance of Support
of Legitimacy and Muslim Brotherhood supporters claim there have been nearly 20
people dead.
Friday protests resulted in the violent clashes happened on the wave of
Islamists rallies against the recent decision of Egypt’s military backed
interim government to ban all the activities of Muslim Brotherhood and to
declare the group a terrorist organization. Pro-Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators
have protested also against current interim government and demanding reinstatement
of Mohamed Morsy as their legal and elected President. Alliance of Support of
Legitimacy, which has called for the protests to be held, rejected also the
recently amended Constitution and called for boycotting the referendum to be
held on 14-15 January 2014.
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| Clashes erupted between protesters and secsurity forces in Egypt (Image: Reuters) |
Muslim Brotherhood’s members are facing massive security crackdown
launched against the group by Egypt’s military since the ouster of Islamist President
Mohamed Morsy, who currently faces trial on several charges including inciting
violence, prison break and international espionage. Many members of Muslim
Brotherhood including the leading and prominent figures have been arrested and
detained and also face trials.
After Muslim Brotherhood was officially declared a terrorist organization
by Egypt’s government in December 2013, Interim Ministry has announced the punishments
for the supporting and participating in the activities of the banned group.
Thus taking part in the marches of the group pr spreading information about the
Brotherhood should be punished with up to 5 years in prison. Despite these
massive protests of Muslim Brotherhood’s supporters continue all over Egypt,
with Friday showed unprecedented level of violence and confrontations during
the Islamists protests since at least two months.
Egyptian police also reports it arrested more than 120 Muslim
Brotherhood members nationwide during the Friday clashes.
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