Egyptian police fired tear gas against protesters one day after explosions and clashes killed 21 people, marring the third anniversary of the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak.
Police chased supporters of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in Alexandria and Cairo. Armored vehicles guarded the entrances of Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the 2011 revolt, as people streamed in, many holding up photos of Defense Minister Abdelfatah al-Seesi, who ousted Mursi in July.
We are here to protect Egypt, 50-year-old El-Sayed Attiya said near the square. “We want al-Seesi to run for president because he’s the one who protected Egypt. We want to see the end of the Muslim Brotherhood because it has ruined and destroyed the country, he said of the Islamist group that fielded Mursi for office.
Al-Seesi is facing increasing calls to run for president after leading the bloodiest crackdown against the Brotherhood in decades, even as security forces struggle with a surge in militant attacks since he ousted Egypt’s first democratically elected civilian president. The violence risks undermining efforts to revive an economy stuck in the worst slowdown in two decades.
A bomb exploded today near a police training center in Cairo, while a second device in a car was defused, according to Ahram online. There were no deaths.
Four Explosions
Yesterday, a car bomb at the Cairo police headquarters killed four people and wounded dozens, and three other explosions around the city left two more dead. The militant Islamist group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis claimed responsibility and said Egyptians celebrating today will also be targets for attack, according to the state-run Ahram Gate website.
Clashes between supporters of the Brotherhood and police also left 15 people dead across the country yesterday, according to the Health Ministry. The Brotherhood has urged its followers to mark the anniversary with renewed protests against the removal of Mursi, who is on trial along with most of the group’s senior leaders.
The violence exposes divisions that emerged after Mubarak’s fall and have deepened since the military’s intervention in July. The army-backed government that replaced Mursi says it is restoring democracy, while opponents and human rights groups say a new police state is emerging.
‘State Violence’
Today we want to get the revolution back,” said Mohamed Taman who is planning to join anti-government protests. “Everyone’s message today is that the revolution is continuing. If the authorities don’t get this message then they are stupid.
Amnesty International said this week that Egypt has seen “state violence on an unprecedented scale” since the army overthrew Mursi. The government says it’s the target of violence, pointing to the wave of attacks, which were initially concentrated in the Sinai peninsula and have spread to urban centers including Cairo.
The presidency condemned yesterday’s bombings, saying they would unite Egyptians behind the goals of the revolts that toppled Mubarak and Mursi. Authorities won’t hesitate to take any “necessary extraordinary measures to protect the nation,” it said by e-mail.
The government has blamed the Brotherhood for attacks, and designated it a terrorist organization, charges the group denies. The Brotherhood says it’s committed to peaceful protests to overturn what it calls the coup against Mursi.
About 260,000 police backed by armored vehicles are being deployed for the anniversary, according to the official Middle East News Agency.
The unrest since Mubarak’s toppling has left Egypt’s economy growing at the slowest pace in two decades, even though stocks and bonds have rebounded since the army removed Mursi. Grievances over jobs and prices that helped fuel the 2011 demonstrations are still widespread.
Government officials say a referendum this month, in which about 98 percent of voters approved a new constitution, is the first step back to democracy. It’s due to be followed by presidential elections later this year.
To contact the reporters on this story: Mariam Fam in Cairo at mfam1@bloomberg.net; Tamim Elyan in Cairo at telyan@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net