Egypt deploys military in Cairo to quell anti-Morsi protests

11 years ago | Posted in: Latest Politics News | 859 Views

The Egyptian military has deployed three tanks and two armored troop carriers outside the presidential palace in Cairo amid escalating clashes and protests.

The Egyptian military has deployed three tanks and two armored troop carriers outside the presidential palace in Cairo amid escalating clashes and protests.

Six people have been killed so far – including journalist Al Hosseini Abou Dief, who died from a shotgun wound – and around 350 were injured during the ongoing clashes between protesters and government forces.

The Egypt Independent newspaper claimed that two of the dead were a woman and teenager. Egypt’s Interior Ministry also reported that 32 people were arrested.

Three top officials have already resigned over the violence, including the chief of the constitutional committee, Zaghloul El-Balshi, who announced his resignation on Egyptian television on Wednesday night.

“I will not participate in a referendum that spilled Egyptian blood, I call on Morsi to cancel the constitutional declaration immediately,” Ahram Online quoted El-Balshi as saying.

The volatile situation has also led to the resignation of three more of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s advisors: Seif Abdel Fattah, Ayman Sayyad and Amr Leithy.

President Morsi planned to appear in public on Wednesday, but cancelled his speech due to the protests. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Hisham Qandil issued a brief statement calling for calm and a “national dialogue.”

Morsi fled the presidential palace on Tuesday after roughly 200 protesters broke through barbed wire barriers and besieged the building. Police forces reportedly retreated, allowing demonstrators to move closer to the palace.

At least 18 people were injured in clashes with police as the amount of demonstrators swelled to roughly 10,000 people.

RT’s Tom Barton described the scene around the presidential palace as “pandemonium.”

Earlier, journalist Wael Eskandar told RT he was worried that the government would not be able to deal with the ongoing clashes. The anti-Morsi protesters were being chased away by Muslim Brotherhood supporters who were using rocks, Molotov cocktails and even “shotguns,” Eskander said.

The violence broke out shortly after President Morsi returned to the presidential palace.

Despite recent developments, Morsi and his office have insisted that the planned constitutional referendum will proceed on December 15. Egyptian Vice President Mahmoud Mekky also said that “the door is open” to amend the disputed articles of the Constitution ahead of the referendum.

The demonstrators have dubbed their siege as “the last warning,” demanding the decrees be cancelled.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Muslim Brotherhood called for a rally backing President Morsi in front of the presidential palace, while leftists planned a counter-protest.

During clashes on Wednesday, Muslim Brotherhood supporters destroyed a tent camp erected by the opposition.

Meanwhile, anti-Morsi demonstrators have set fire to and attacked a number of Muslim Brotherhood offices throughout the country, according to local media. Offices in Ismailia and Damietta, north of Cairo, were attacked. Molotov cocktails were thrown into offices in Zagazig and thousands of opposition activists are marching to the party’s headquarters in Suez.

The protests began after a newly elected President Morsi signed a decree granting his office vastly increased powers, which protesters claim are akin to the authoritarian rule of ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

ref: www.rt.com

 

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Share it.

Leave a Reply

Related Posts