Egypt
faces 'Mubarak-like' Morsi By
Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani
CAIRO - Concerns are mounting over Egypt's
future after the outbreaks of violence that marked
the second anniversary of Egypt's January 25
Revolution. Massive anti-government rallies led to
ongoing clashes between protesters and security
forces that have left at least 40 people dead.
Cities along Egypt's Suez Canal faced a
government-declared state of emergency.
"The revolutionary fervor that erupted on
Friday in 10 out of Egypt's 27 provinces has not
been seen since the uprising two years ago," Ahmed
Maher, general coordinator of Egypt's 6 April
youth movement, which participated in the
anti-government demonstrations, told IPS.
In the weeks leading up to the
anniversary, revolutionary, liberal and leftist
parties and groups called on Egyptians to mark the
occasion with nationwide
protests against President Mohammed Morsi and the
Muslim Brotherhood from which he hails. Hundreds
of thousands answered the call on Friday, joining
marches and rallies in Cairo, Alexandria and other
major urban centers.
Protesters' demands
included the amendment of Egypt's newly approved
constitution, prosecution of anyone implicated in
killing protesters, and guarantees that upcoming
parliamentary polls - expected in April - would be
conducted transparently. Protesters also voiced
opposition to the perceived 'Brotherhoodisation'
of state institutions.
Although protest
organizers had called for "peaceful rallies" and
"the avoidance of violence", this was not to be
the case.
Saad al-Kitatni, president of
the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party
(FJP), blamed opposition political forces for the
escalating violence. "The political forces that
called for these rallies, of which they appear to
have lost control, are responsible for the
bloodshed," he declared via Twitter.
Opposition figures, for their part, were
quick to blame the crisis on President Morsi and
the Muslim Brotherhood. "Morsi, his administration
and the FJP are all responsible for the current
violence," said 6 April's Maher. "By ignoring the
demands of the opposition, Morsi is behaving just
like Mubarak."
The Muslim Brotherhood
condemned the violence. "Egypt's January 25
Revolution was peaceful in nature," the group
stated. "But yesterday's demonstrations included
attacks by armies of thugs on police, state
institutions and private property."
The
Brotherhood blamed Egypt's private media, much of
which is owned by influential businessmen known
for their antipathies towards the Islamist group,
for "inciting the public against Egypt's elected
government". It went on to assert that violence
had been planned in advance by "elements seeking
to derail the course of the revolution".
The group also condemned opposition groups
for condoning the violence. "It is unacceptable
that those demanding 'justice for the martyrs of
the revolution' engage in actions that lead to
more people dying," the statement read.
The situation became even more explosive
on Saturday morning when a court sentenced 21 men
from Port Said to death. The men had been charged
with responsibility for last February's Port Said
stadium disaster in which scores of Egyptian
football fans were killed.
Upon
announcement of the sentences, clashes erupted in
Port Said between police and families of the
condemned men. At least 30 were killed in the
ensuing violence, including some security
personnel. Soon afterwards, the military began
deploying in and around the city of Port Said.
On the same day, the National Salvation
Front (NSF) - Egypt's main opposition umbrella
group - upped the ante, threatening to boycott
upcoming parliamentary polls if President Morsi
failed to meet a shortlist of demands. These
include immediate constitutional changes,
replacement of the current government with a
"national salvation" government, and the dismissal
of Morsi-appointed prosecutor-general Talaat
Ibrahim.
If these demands weren't
immediately met, the NSF said, it would stage
further demonstrations this week to call for the
re-activation of Egypt's previous 1971
constitution (albeit with some modifications), and
snap presidential elections.
According to
Maher, Morsi's only way out of the current crisis
is to "form a new government drawn from various
political forces and constitution-amending
committee comprised of scholars; dissolve the
Shura Council (the upper house of Egypt's
parliament currently endowed with legislative
powers); and accept the resignation of the
prosecutor-general.
"If he fails to do
this, we will escalate our demands," he added, in
a veiled reference to possible calls for Morsi
himself - elected only seven months ago - to step
down.
FJP spokesman Murad Ali rejected
such ultimatums. "The opposition has the right to
demonstrate - peacefully - anywhere it wants to,"
he told IPS. "But no political group has the right
to demand the democratically elected president's
ouster, while the use violence is of course a red
line."
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