Brotherhood's El-Beltagi Ejected from Tahrir

Freedom and Justice Party leader expelled from square after Brotherhood's failure to mobilise in protesters' defence.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed El-Beltagi was thrown out of Tahrir Square ‎by protesters on Monday.‎

El-Beltagi, a former MP and leader of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice ‎Party, has expressed support for the protesters since they first locked horns with Central Security ‎Forces (CSF) on Saturday in and around the iconic square. ‎

In a statement on Monday, the Brotherhood condemned police brutality and held Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) responsible for the ongoing violence.‎

The group, however, had declined to join the Tahrir Square protesters, which has enraged many of those who have remained in the square in the face of violent police and military crackdowns which left over 30 people dead and hundreds injured. ‎

Bloody confrontations between protesters and security forces erupted on Saturday after police tried to forcibly ‎disperse a small Tarhir Square sit-in.‎

On Monday afternoon, Beltagi announced that the Brotherhood would, after all, join the Tahrir protesters. Expecting to be joined by several thousand Brotherhood youth, the Tahrir protesters were surprised to find Beltagi himself, accompanied by a few supporters, coming to the square. These seem to have enraged the protesters who denied the leader of the Freedom and Justice Party entry to the square, and sent him away.

[Developed in partnership with Ahram Online]