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Updated 13.15
EGYPT IS UNDER a tense state of emergency today after security forces stormed the Cairo protest camps supporting ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, in a bloody assault that sparked violence across the country, which officials said claimed at least 525 lives.
The army-backed interim government imposed a month-long nationwide state of emergency, and curfews in Cairo and 13 other provinces after the violence yesterday.
Gory photographs and video images of the Cairo bloodbath dominated social media networks, as world powers called for restraint and condemned the show of force by security forces.
Calls from international leaders have been made this morning for action to ensure the nation is not reduced to a civil war.
French President Francois Hollande issued a statement to warn that “everything must be done to avoid a civil war” in Egypt.
Supporters of Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi clash with security forces near the largest sit-in by supporters of Morsi in the eastern Nasr City district of Cairo. (Mohammed Abu Zeid/AP/Press Association Images)
However, the Muslim Brotherhood has called for a march in Cairo later today “to protest the death of their relatives”.
At least four churches were attacked, with Christian activists accusing Morsi loyalists of waging “a war of retaliation against Copts in Egypt”.
Hours after tear gas canisters first rained down on tents of protesters in the sprawling Rabaa al-Adawiya camp in eastern Cairo, an AFP correspondent counted at least 124 bodies in makeshift morgues there.
In a field hospital, its floors slippery with blood, doctors struggled to cope with the casualties, leaving the hopeless cases, even if still alive.
The death toll included 43 policemen who died in violence across the country and 202 protesters killed in the Rabaa al-Adawiya protest camp, senior health ministry official Khaled al-Khatib said on Thursday.
Teenage victim
Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood spoke of 2,200 dead overall and more than 10,000 wounded.
Among those killed in Cairo was 17-year-old Asmaa al-Beltagui, daughter of wanted Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed al-Beltagui, a spokesman for Morsi’s movement said.
Britain’s Sky News said a veteran cameraman, Briton Mick Deane, was shot and killed while covering the assaults.
The violence prompted vice president and Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei to resign, saying his conscience was troubled over the loss of life, “particularly as I believe it could have been avoided”.
“It has become too difficult to continue bearing responsibility for decisions I do not agree with and whose consequences I fear,” he said.
(YouTube: AlJazeeraEnglish)
The state of emergency went into effect at 4pm local time yesterday, with daily overnight curfews from 7pm to 6am.
The dramatic descent on the squares shortly after dawn came as a surprise to many. Security officials had originally spoken of gradually dispersing the sit-ins over several days.
Shortly after dawn on Wednesday, witnesses and an AFP correspondent said security forces fired tear gas before surging into Rabaa al-Adawiya, sparking pandemonium among the thousands of protesters who had set up the camp soon after Morsi was ousted in a military coup on 3 July.
Men in gas masks rushed to grab each canister and dunk them in containers of water, as the main stage near the mosque of the camp blared Islamic anthems and protesters chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest).
Many Morsi supporters were given safe passage out of the camp, some flashing victory signs as they left through a security corridor.
A security official told AFP that hundreds of people were taking advantage of the safe passage offer, but that some diehards had stayed behind to fight on.
A supporters of Egypt’s ousted President Mohammed Morsi shows spent ammunition during clashes with security forces near the largest sit-in by supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in the eastern Nasr City district of Cairo. (Mohammed Abu Zeid/AP/Press Association Images)
By Wednesday evening, a security official said Rabaa al-Adawiya was “totally under control”, adding: “There are no more clashes”.
In the smaller of the protest camps, at Al-Nahda square in central Cairo, police said they had control of the area after two hours.
Television footage showed flattened tents, as women and children flanked by police and army troops were led out of the square.
Dozens rounded up in the dispersal were shown sitting on the ground, handcuffed and surrounded by security forces.
Authorities later said calm had been restored across the country.
A supporter of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi shoots a gun towards the Egyptian Police at a sit-in at Rabaah al-Adawiya. (Manu Brabo/AP/Press Association Images)
Use of force widely condemned
Europe’s leading powers, along with Iran, Qatar and Turkey, strongly denounced the use of force by the interim government.
The White House said Washington, which provides Egypt with $1.3 billion in annual military aid, “strongly condemns” the violence against the protesters and opposes the imposition of a state of emergency.
Interim prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi praised the police for their “self-restraint” and said the government remained committed to an army-drafted roadmap that calls for elections in 2014.
The Muslim Brotherhood urged Egyptians to take to the streets in their thousands to denounce the “massacre”.
“This is not an attempt to disperse, but a bloody attempt to crush all voices of opposition to the military coup,” Brotherhood spokesman Gehad al-Haddad said on Twitter.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said no more protests would be tolerated.
The anger against the Islamist movement was evident as residents of several neighbourhoods clashed with Morsi loyalists.
Clashes also erupted between security forces and Morsi supporters in the northern provinces of Alexandria and Beheira, the canal provinces of Suez and Ismailiya, and the central provinces of Assiut and Menya.
A supporter of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi shoots a slingshot against Egyptian security forces. (Manu Brabo/AP/Press Association Images)
In Alexandria, hundreds of angry Morsi supporters marched through the streets armed with wooden clubs chanting “Morsi is my president”.
An AFP reporter said they set fire to tyres and tore down pictures of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the coup against Morsi.
It was a dramatic turn of events for the Muslim Brotherhood, who just over a year ago celebrated Morsi’s victory as Egypt’s first elected president.
His turbulent year in power, marred by political turmoil, deadly clashes and a crippling economic crisis, turned many against the Islamist movement, with millions taking to the streets on June 30 to call for his removal.
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Y’know some people should get a life with these complaints.
Yes we are a secular state, but living in a secular state means tolerating ALL religions. In fact when living in a secular state a person’s faith preference or if they are Atheist or Agnostic is their own personal belief and preference and their own business. If we should take any lesson from the past in Ireland, we should take this one. People are not defined by their faith preference alone, they are made up of more than that. Profiling people in this way is a dangerous road to go down as history proves again and again. We talk of religious freedom for other faiths that are in Ireland but what about religious freedom for native faiths. How can we call ourselves a tolerant state if we cannot even tolerate native faiths.
@Liz (10) (^_^): what do you mean by native faiths? Christianity, which is a middle eastern religion hijacked by the Romans? Or maybe you mean paganism? Either way, I do believe in freedom of religion, I agree with you on that part, once that religion is practiced privately and not imposed on others or does not impinge on the freedom of others, as it does currently in our religious run schools, for example.
@Liz (10) (^_^): ‘We talk of religious freedom for other faiths that are in Ireland but what about religious freedom for native faiths. ‘
Our native faith is paganism.
Podge and Rodge show last night was absolutely disgusting with the behavior of that thing,Maughan . I for one will be making a complaint. A new low in “entertainment “ . Yuck!
@James Wallace: Don’t forget the Jewish faith. Ireland has a long native Jewish tradition as well as Christian which is unfortunately is in decline however in recent times there has been an upsurge with workers from overseas
@Beyond Belief: True. I grant you. We were better off at times if we still were in my honest opinion with the carry on of the Church over decades.
Plus no women priests or married clergy. I think they need to cop on now.
People are perpetually offended these days, live and let live…I’m not a catholic but I don’t begrudge people their faith.
@Jun Stone: Fair enough. On the other hand, I have no faith in RTÉ’s habit of pushing for hefty increases in licence tax, requiring people who never watch RTÉ to pay regular sums of money to RTÉ.
Try getting a grip. It had huge sectoral interest and was televised. That’s not sectarianism, it’s the job of TV. Just as the euro. 2020, the GAA championship, referendum and GE coverage or anything else that has a large following. Sectarianism is making official complaints because of no other valid reason than being anti. Just find something else to do or watch like I did.
It was covering of the pope’s visit to Ireland of course the state broadcaster is going to cover it , sky news covered it most of the day too along with other media companies ,
Ireland should be transitioning to a secular state to allay the fears of unification held by NI Protestants and the Orange Order. The Pope’s visit was ill-timed at a time when unification is at its highest since 1921 and just resurrected the Paisley notion of a papist state.
Given the history of abuse perpetrated by the Catholic Church over the past 100 years
the Government has to no demystify the Confessional seal of silence and compel all
citizens with the exception of legal advisors to report all criminal activity for secular
legal remedy. This process is happening in Australia,
The Government has to simply nationalise primary & secondary education, de-Catholic
the constitution and remove God from it for good measure and declare that religion and its practice is a private matter and that all Irish law should take precedence to Cannon Law and its derivatives. (replace calumny* with defamation, slander etc.).
If we can assure protestants in NI that they will have identical status as Catholics in a secular 32 county Ireland, then, IMO, the major stumbling block to unification is no longer there and economics will sort out the residual Unionist sentiments.
It is fine for the UK having a unified head of State & head of Church but a 21C Irish Republic should be independent and secular to reflect our neutral position with respect to global conflict.
To an outsider it seemed a Dr Who voyage back to the Middle Ages when it was found the Sgt McCabe had been subjected to “calumny” straight out of Cannon Law. If I remember form my Confirmation coaching , calumny & detraction was under the heading: “What else is forbidden by the 8th Commandment?
Ireland’s recent immigration program indicates an objective of being a multi-cultural
society and the preferred position of the State ought to be secular to accommodate
multiculturalism, Imo.
@Moorooka Mick: pppppffffffff
@Moorooka Mick: the state is secular. Legislation is not being scripted with a Catholic or any other ethos in mind. If the schools have a ethos, it’s because there’s demand for it. Some people want their children to grow up with some indoctrination and some don’t. It’s freedom of choice.
@Andrew Dillon: demand for it? there’s demand for non religious schools & even if what you say was true let people pay for private religious schools. A truly secular society cannot have public schools run by religious groups. it’s the opposite of a secular society. if people want their children “indoctrinated” let them pay for it or do it at home or at Sunday schools. I am also open to children being taught religious education in schools provided all religions and none are addressed as well as the pros & cons of such teachings. Catholics schools have been shown to be discriminatory towards both students & teachers & you say there’s no legislation being scripted. Maybe there should be to prevent this.
@Moorooka Mick: very well said. Bravo.
@Moorooka Mick: We don’t need to appease them, if they think we are all papists even after the pro gay marriage and pro choice referendums then what more can we do? Any anyways why should we be considerate about their feelings or concerns? A reunified Ireland would be great, but not if we have to bend at the knee to Arlene’s feelings!
@Andrew Dillon: except in most areas of the country there is NO choice.
@Moorooka Mick: the protestants in the north have more in common with Catholicism than secularism. In England 25% of the top performing schools were Catholic even though they make up a much smaller percentage of the total. It would therefore appear it would not be wise to reduce the number of Catholic schools.
@Tom Mullally: Or wiser to send your children to a top-performing school in England? A country where it is unacceptable to cover up child predator activities by failing to report them, arranging for secrecy contracts and allowing the predators to move around the country freely.
@Fiona Fitzgerald: tell that to the young girls in Rotherham
He gives a lovely mass though
@Nomad: Careful now .. He gives good mass .. Its the girls who are lovely
RTE intentionally or unintentionally gave the impression that it was going to be a nightmare getting to the event.
@Thomas Molloy: and catholics famously hate a pilgrimage.
Only a handful of people play Winning Streak each week and RTE gives it an hour airtime every Saturday and get paid for same.
Moorooka Mick .Set up a stall in O’Connell street and gather your follower’s and see how that goes .I am easy either way and disgusted at what was done in the name of religion or by the religious and I also believe that that is the general feeling of all catholics some of who are reeling at what has come out from time to time
It was much to popey for my liking.
Goes to show, no matter what RTÉ do they’ll be attacked by both sides. They can’t win.
The three Bryan Dobson fans must have been the father, son & Holy Ghost
Lads more people bought Gareth Brooks tickets than attended the pope…… We are a changed country but the rise in country music amoung young people needs to be looked at. It’s the main cause of Suacide
” Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s ” Romans 13:1 ” let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities ,for there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God.”
No formal complaints made now look at headline
I watched it with the sound off, but I thought the frocks were nice.
Online stories like this are inclined to elicit feedback on the RTE feedback and comments on various comments. Narcissistic commentary on public commentary tells us more about comment posters than it does about the professionalism of RTE.
Wouldn’t call it sectarianism, not a fan of R.T.E. but the way this visit was rammed down our throats was a disgrace. The good and the mighty after all their talk had no problem in bending the knee to El Papa. If people believe that’s their right…. but R.T.E. and mainstream media was over the top.
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