Protests Continue In Egypt As Army Extends Morsi’s Detention
Thousands of people protesting against military rule have taken to the streets across Egypt in rallies dubbed “Loyalty to the Martyrs’ Blood”, calling for deposed President Mohamed Morsi to be reinstated.
The rallies come nearly a month after the August 14 crackdown by security forces on two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo that led to clashes in which hundreds of people were killed.
“Either we recover their rights, or we die like them,” protesters chanted of those who lost their lives in the crackdown, as they marched on Friday towards Rabaa al-Adawiya Square, the site of one of those camps.
We’ve been told that security forces stepped in to separate fighting that had broken out between rival factions, the Anti-Coup Alliance on one side and locals who are opposed to it on the other,” our correspondent said.
“There are also reports of flashpoints in Mahala, Damietta, Sharqiya, with fighting between these two groups, but security haven’t yet intervened in any of those.”
For weeks, demonstrators have been marching in cities around the country.
A local resident of Nasr City said that people want the rallies to end, as they are disrupting lives of the locals and limiting their movements. “Every Friday, things are stopped. People and shops are afraid, shops are closed,” he said.
“They are afraid they might be attacked and if I have an errand far away, I can’t really go anywhere.”
But some protesters insisted they had managed to garner local support.
Meanwhile, prosecutors extended the detention of Morsi for 30 days. The former President faces several criminal charges, including murder.
“If they were to bring Morsi to a swift trial now or soon, it might bring more protesters out onto the streets… So I think they’re quite happy with the situation as it is at the moment”, a member of Muslim Brotherhood said.
Morsi was ousted by the army after a wave of popular protests. Egypt’s military-installed new authorities have since arrested more than 2,000 of his supporters.
On Thursday, the interim authorities extended a state of emergency in force since the mid-August bloodshed by another two months because of Egypt’s continued security problems.
