Supporters and opponents of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi battled in downtown Cairo’s streets today, hurling rocks at each other as police fired volleys of tear gas. It was later confirmed that one pro-Morsi supporter had been killed in the fracas, with at least 11 wounded.
Supporters of the former president asserted that the individual had been shot dead by security authorities, while the police insisted he lost his life during street clashes between the two groups.
The violence erupted as a proposal by al-Azhar, Egypt’s leading religious authority, to bring together adversaries in the political crisis appeared to inch forward.
Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood said it was ready take part in talks as long as they were on the right terms.
But the clashes showed the country was still dangerously divided six weeks after the army overthrew Morsi.
Brotherhood protest camps at Cairo’s al-Nahda Square and around Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque are the immediate focus of the crisis. Morsi supporters stood their ground behind barricades while Egypt’s interim leaders debated how to end their sit-in.
No police crackdown appeared imminent despite frequent warnings from the army-installed government that the protesters should pack up and leave peacefully.
But clashes broke out in central Cairo when a few thousand Morsi supporters marched to the Interior Ministry.
Pro-army residents and shop-workers taunted them, calling them terrorists and saying they were not welcome. They then threw stones at the marchers, getting showered back in return.
Some hurled bottles at the Morsi supporters from balconies. Police then fired tear gas at the demonstrators. Women and children marchers fled the scene in panic.
The clashes spread to several streets and brought Cairo traffic to a standstill.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald