Egypt witnesses spate of violence on revolution anniversary

Egyptian protestors take cover as others throw stones towards security personnel in Sheikh Rayhan street that leads to the Interior Ministry headquarters, near Tahrir Square, on 25 January 2013. (Photo: AFP - Khaled Desouki)

Published Friday, January 25, 2013

Violence spread throughout Egypt Friday on the second anniversary of the revolt that toppled Hosni Mubarak’s regime in 2011, as protesters denounced President Mohammed Mursi and his Islamist government.

Inspired by Tunisia's historic popular uprising, Egypt's revolution spurred further revolts across the Arab world. But the sense of common purpose that united Egyptians two years ago has given way to internal strife that has only worsened and last month triggered lethal street battles.

Opponents of Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood allies massed in Cairo's Tahrir Square to revive the demands of a revolution they say has been betrayed by Islamists.

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Jared Malsin @jmalsin

Following marchers down the Nile Corniche en route to #Tahrir. Protesters chanting "Bread, freedom, down with the Brotherhood!"

"Our revolution is continuing. We reject the domination of any party over this state. We say no to the Brotherhood state," Hamdeen Sabahy, a popular leftist leader, told Reuters TV as he made his way to the square for the rally.

Police battled protesters who threw petrol bombs and firecrackers as they tried to approach a wall blocking access to government buildings near the square in the pre-dawn hours.

Adel Abdel Ghafar @dooolism

Clouds of tear gas fired by police filled the air. At one point, riot police used one of the incendiaries thrown at them to set ablaze at least two tents erected by the youths, a Reuters witness said. Clashes between stone-throwing youths and the police continued in streets near the square into the day.

Ambulances ferried away a steady stream of casualties. The health ministry said 25 people had been injured since Thursday in clashes around Tahrir Square.

There were similar scenes in Alexandria, where protesters and riot police skirmished near local government offices. Tear gas fouled the air and black smoke billowed from tyres set ablaze by youths. Nine people were wounded by birdshot pellets, according to medical and security sources.
Thousands more protested against the Brotherhood in cities across Egypt including Suez, Ismailia and Port Said.

The Brotherhood decided against mobilizing in the street for the anniversary, wary of the scope for more conflict after violence in December that was stoked by Mursi's decision to fast-track an Islamist-tinged constitution.

"We are not here to celebrate but to force those in power to submit to the will of the people. Egypt now must never be like Egypt during Mubarak's rule," said Mohamed Fahmy, an activist.

Mursi, in a speech on Thursday marking the Prophet Mohammad's birthday, called on Egyptians to mark the anniversary "in a civilized, peaceful way that safeguards our nation, our institutions, our lives".

His opponents say he and his group are seeking to dominate the post-Mubarak order. They accuse him of showing some of the autocratic impulses of the deposed leader by, for example, driving through the new constitution last month.

The Brotherhood dismisses many of the criticisms as unfair. It accuses its opponents of failing to respect the rules of the new democracy that put the Islamists in the driving seat by winning free elections.

Six months into office, Mursi is also being held responsible for an economic crisis caused by two years of turmoil. The Egyptian pound has sunk to record lows against the dollar.

Other sources of friction abound. Little has been done to reform brutal Mubarak-era security agencies. A spate of transport disasters on roads and railways neglected for years is feeding discontent as well. Activists are impatient for justice for the victims of violence over the last two years.

One newly-formed group called the Black Bloc, has become more visible during the anniversary clashes, both for their dark attire and their staunch opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Critics say the constitution, which was approved in a referendum, offers inadequate protection for human rights, grants the president too many privileges and fails to curb the power of a military establishment supreme in the Mubarak era.

Mursi's supporters say that enacting the constitution quickly was crucial to restoring stability desperately needed for economic recovery, and that the opposition is making the situation worse by perpetuating unrest.

(Reuters, Al-Akhbar)

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Egyptians Mark Revolution Anniversary with Protests against Mursi

Local Editor

Protesters gathered in Egypt's capital on Friday on the second anniversary of the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak, as thousands made their way to Cairo's Tahrir Square and the surrounding streets chanting against the Muslim Brotherhood.
Anti_Mursi protests

Some protesters had already spent the night, after police clashed Thursday with protesters who tried to dismantle a wall of concrete blocks closing a street leading to the square.

Some demonstrators hurled rocks at riot police who responded with tear gas grenades. The interior ministry said five policemen were injured and appealed to demonstrators to avoid confrontation with the security forces.

The secular-leaning opposition has called for mass protests against Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood from which Mursi hails.

"Go out into the squares to finally achieve the objectives of the revolution," opposition leader and former head of the UN's atomic agency Mohamed ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account.

Friday's demonstrators gathered at Tahrir Square, iconic birthplace of the 2011 revolution against former President Hosni Mubarak, and in front of the presidential palace, where anti-Mursi rallies last December erupted into deadly clashes with Brotherhood supporters.

Rallies were staged elsewhere, notably in Egypt's second city Alexandria, and the authorities have prepared for a heavy security presence, an official told Agence France Presse (AFP).

The Muslim Brotherhood has not officially called for its own rallies, instead marking the anniversary by launching a charitable and social initiative dubbed "Together we will build Egypt."

“COUNTER-REVOLUTION LED BY MUBARAK REMNANTS”

In a speech marking the birthday of Prophet Mohamad (pbuh), Mursi urged Egyptians to spend the anniversary in a "peaceful and civilized way." Mursi speech

He slammed the opposition, describing them as remnants of the Hosni Mubarak regime who are trying to plunge the country into deep troubles as it struggles to recover from economic woes.

"The counter-revolution is being led by remnants of ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s regime to obstruct everything in the country," he said at the Azhar Conference Hall in Cairo.

Mursi also called on the Egyptian people to direct their efforts towards work and production and provide a “suitable environment for investment.”

“We will remove all the obstacles in the way of Egyptian, Arab and foreign investors to encourage them to work in Egypt,” he said, before calling on foreign-based Egyptians to invest in their country.
“I hope all groups will remain peaceful during [the anniversary's] celebrations,” he added.

“The revolution was a turning point in Egypt's history. Egyptians have achieved unlimited freedoms and a constitution that reduced the president's powers.

“A structural reform is taking place in the state’s institutions to fulfill the revolution’s demands. I’m also working with the government to solve the problems of slum areas in Egypt.”