[This is a collection of news updates on Egypt compiled from multiple sources by the editors.]
Egypt`s Friday Rallies Show Weaker Pro-Morsi Mobilization
A wave of arrests of Muslim Brotherhood leaders and the deadly violence that has surrounded recent protests could account for the relatively low numbers on Friday.
For the second week in a row, Friday protests in support of ousted president Mohamed Morsi showed a relatively low turnout compared with previous rallies organized since the former president’s ouster on 3 July.
Clashes occurred at many of the rallies across the countries, leading to six deaths and dozens of injuries after scuffles between protesters and police forces, or in some cases local residents.
While protests called for by the National Coalition to Support Legitimacy–led by the Muslim Brotherhood–took place in many Egyptian cities, none of the rallies came close to approaching the hundreds of thousands-strong demonstrations organized by the alliance before.
Friday’s protests–under the banner “the people reclaim their revolution”–were planned to kick start a campaign of civil disobedience against Egypt’s interim government, demanding that Morsi–who was removed by the military after mass protests against him–be reinstated.
Protests in previous weeks have frequently ended in bloody violence and deadly clashes with security forces, which may have taken a toll on mobilization.
In addition, the Muslim Brotherhood–known for its organizational power–is believed to have been weakened by a spate of arrests targeting the Islamist group since the violent dispersal of their sit-ins on 14 August and the subsequent declaration of a state of emergency by Egypt’s interim president.
So far an estimated 1,800 Brotherhood members and supporters have been arrested during the past two weeks, including top Brotherhood figures like Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie and his deputy Khairat El-Shater.
The Brotherhood’s senior figures have been slapped with charges including inciting violence and in some cases forming an armed faction and terrorizing the state and its citizens.
On Friday, the latest prominent Brotherhood member to be arrested, Mohamed El-Beltagy, was given a thirty-day detention order by the prosecution pending investigation into charges that include attempted murder, inciting violence and chaos, and damaging public property.
Previous mass rallies by the Brotherhood took place the weekend following the 14 August dispersal of two large pro-Morsi protest camps during which police killed hundreds and injured thousands.
Clashes kill seven
Protests were reported on Friday in Cairo and Giza, Egypt’s second city Alexandria, the Nile Delta cities of Tanta, Mansoura and Zagazig, the Suez Canal city of Port Said and Ismailiya and Upper Egypt’s Assiut and Minya cities.
Deadly clashes broke out again on Friday at the site of many protests. Al-Ahram’s Arabic news website reported that three protesters were killed during clashes between police forces and protesters in Giza’s Mohandiseen district.
Another two people were killed in Sharqiya province’s Zagazig city after clashes between Morsi supporters and street vendors, according to Al-Ahram. The Brotherhood’s official website said the protesters were killed after police and armed thugs targeted protesters and besieged those who tried to escape.
One resident was killed in Port Said, according to a health ministry official who spoke to Al-Ahram Arabic.
Another one died in the hospital in Ismailia after being shot in the head, according to Al-Ahram Arabic.
In Greater Cairo several large rallies were reported in the districts of Mohandiseen, Maadi and Nasr City. AFP reported that a rally in Nasr City was several thousand strong while others around the capital were smaller. The news agency also noted the dwindling numbers of the rallies compared to previous protest days.
By the time curfew started at seven pm on Friday, pro-Morsi protests had either ended or were being dispersed, such as the one in Mohandiseen and another at Assiut’s Amawy Mosque.
Tens of protesters were detained by police nationwide, including thirty-four in the Mohandiseen clashes.
Millions took to streets: Brotherhood alliance
The National Coalition to Support Legitimacy insists that mass “anti-coup” protests took place on Friday and said there was scant media coverage of them.
“The people have heeded the call and reclaimed the spirit of the revolution. Millions of Egyptians came out after Friday prayers on 30 August in all governorates,” a statement by the coalition asserted.
The statement accused the “putschist” media of focusing on the peripheries of rallies to give a false impression of the events.
The statement also condemned what it said were detentions of protesters and shootings by police to disperse demonstrations in many cities which, it said, led to the deaths in Zagazig and Port Said.
The coalition said it would push its demands to reclaim “legitimacy,” which the alliance explained before is the return of Morsi and the suspended Shura Council, as well as the reinstatement of the 2012 constitution–currently in the process of being amended.
The Egyptian government reiterated its rhetoric against “terrorism” in a statement released by the cabinet on Friday afternoon.
“The prime minister … assures that any terrorist or unlawful elements seeking to threaten the country’s security will be dealt with,” the statement read.
Blaming Friday’s deaths on violent behavior, the cabinet statement said it “regrets any Egyptian bloodshed that occurred due to some who chose not to protest peacefully.”
[This article originally appeared on Ahram Online.]
Brotherhood`s El-Beltagy Detained For Thirty Days
Senior Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed El-Beltagy, who was arrested on Thursday, will be detained for thirty days pending investigation into an array of charges.
Muslim Brotherhood firebrand Mohamed El-Beltagy will be detained for thirty days, judicial sources have said, as a crackdown on Islamists continues.
El-Beltagy, who was arrested on Thursday in a village outside Cairo, released a video message recorded in hiding hours before his detention urging mass rallies against the "military coup" that deposed former president Mohamed Morsi.
An ex-member of parliament, El-Beltagy stands accused of a myriad of charges including attempted murder, inciting violence and chaos, and damaging public property.
Following hours-long questioning in the presence of his lawyer, he denied the allegations and claimed video and audio evidence against him was trumped up, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.
His seventeen-year-old daughter Asmaa was killed during a bloody police raid on a pro-Morsi protest camp in north-eastern Cairo on 14 August, which left hundreds dead and sparked days of deadly clashes between Islamists and security forces.
The eighty-five-year-old Muslim Brotherhood–which operated underground for decades until the fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011–has been hit hard by a broad clampdown on its leaders and members following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, a senior member of the group.
[This article originally appeared on Ahram Online.]
Army Conscript Killed in Egypt`s Port Said
Armed assailants kill an army conscript and injure two others in Suez Canal city of Port Said
An Egyptian army conscript was shot dead and two others injured in an attack by unknown assailants in the Suez Canal city of Port Said on Friday night, Al-Ahram’s Arabic website reported.
One of the injured soldiers said that masked men riding a motorcycle opened fire on the conscripts and fled, according to Al-Ahram. Security forces have said they are taking measures to catch the perpetrators, including sealing off the city’s entrances and exits.
A man was shot dead and dozens injured in Port Said earlier on Friday during clashes, reportedly between supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi and residents in the city.
[This article originally appeared on Ahram Online.]
Seven Dead As Pro-Morsi Rallies in Egypt Draw Smaller Numbers Than Expected
Tens of thousands demonstrate in support of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi; violent clashes with local residents and security forces leave seven dead and dozens injured.
Seven protesters have been confirmed dead after violence flared at rallies in support of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in Giza, Zagazig and Port Said on Friday.
Protests to `reclaim legitimacy` were called for by the Muslim Brotherhood`s National Coalition to Support Legitimacy.
The latest deaths on Friday occurred in the Giza district of Mohandiseen during clashes between police forces and pro-Morsi protesters. Tens were injured in the violence, according to Al-Ahram’s Arabic news website.
Two other protesters were killed and twenty-two injured in Sharqiya`s Zagazig, medical sources confirmed to Al-Ahram Arabic news website. The Muslim Brotherhood`s Ikhwanonline website claims a third person was also killed during the clashes.
Conflicting reports surround how the death occured. Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported they were shot during clashes between protesters and street vendors. However, Ikhwanonline website claims they died after police and armed thugs targeted protesters and besieged those who tried to escape.
In the Suez Canal city of Port Said a protester was killed and 8 injured as fighting broke out between supporters and opponents of the ousted president in the Al-Amin district, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported. It is unclear how the clashes started. Police reportedly mobilized to disperse the crowds.
Another one was killed in Ismailia after being shot in the head.
Three people were reported injured in clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents in Beheira.
Violent clashes were also reported in the district of Sidi Gaber in Alexandria.
Security forces forcibly dispersed protesters in Alexandria earlier on Friday.
Police used teargas to disperse thousands of Morsi supporters in Daqahliya`s Mansoura and Upper Egypt`s Assiut. In both cities, gunshots were heard from the perimeters of the clashes.
Earlier in the day, security forces dispersed a smaller gathering of Morsi supporters in Mansoura and arrested fifteen as they tried to escape into side streets.
The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy released a statement on Wednesday saying that 30 August would be “the beginning of a civil disobedience campaign to pressure the putschists to end the coup.”
Egypt`s interior ministry announced ahead of Friday`s protests that it would use live ammunition against protesters in "legitimate self defense."
The statement comes amid an ongoing crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters after security forces forcibly dispersed two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo on 14 August, which left hundreds dead and over a thousand injured.
Since then, security forces have arrested hundreds of the group`s leaders and members. Senior Brotherhood officials are facing incitement charges.
Police have also announced they will prevent the establishment of fresh sit-ins.
Morsi supporters have been demonstrating for almost two months against the army`s overthrow of Mohamed Morsi on 3 July following mass protests against his rule. Turnout on Friday by protesters was larger than protests the previous week, but still smaller than some analysts had anticipated.
A sweeping crackdown on Brotherhood leaders has seen most key figures arrested in recent weeks, impacting the group`s ability to organize.
The interim government has accused Morsi supporters of committing "terrorist acts" against its opponents.
[This article originally appeared on Ahram Online.]