Protesters flood Egyptian streets
2013-02-01 15:27
Cairo - Thousands of Egyptians flooded the streets on Friday
in a show of opposition to Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim
Brotherhood after a week of a wave of deadly unrest swept the country.
Protesters braved a rare Cairo rainfall to march to Tahrir
Square and the presidential palace, chanting "Freedom!" and
"Morsi is illegitimate!"
Thousands also marched in the Mediterranean port of
Alexandria and the canal city of Port Said, which was at the heart of last
week's clashes after 21 residents were sentenced to death over football-related
violence a year ago.
The opposition National Salvation Front (NSF) joined rival
factions on Thursday in condemning the violence and supporting efforts for a national
dialogue.
But the coalition of mainly liberal and leftist groups also
called Friday's protests demanding a unity government and amendment of the
Islamist-drafted constitution which polarised the nation when it was passed in
December.
The rallies come after a week of deadly unrest left nearly
60 people dead, in the worst political crisis since the president came to power
last June.
Morsi is accused of betraying the revolution that brought
him to the presidency and of consolidating power in Brotherhood hands.
Serious dialogue
In a statement, the NSF said Egyptians would demonstrate
nationwide against "a regime that seeks to impose its will on the people
and is managing the country in the interest of the Brotherhood".
Top Islamic scholar Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayyeb chaired talks
Thursday between liberal opposition heads, Islamists, youth groups,
independents and church members at the headquarters of Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's
highest seat of learning.
They signed an Al-Azhar document vowing to support "a
serious dialogue" and "condemn all forms of violence and incitement
to violence," and stressing "the responsibility of the state and its
security apparatus to protect citizens."
Opposition and NSF leader Mohamed ElBaradei, a former UN
nuclear watchdog chief, praised the Al-Azhar talks.
"We come out of these talks with some sort of
optimism" despite "the difficult challenges ahead," he told
reporters.
"We will do whatever we can with goodwill to build the
trust of the Egyptian people."
Saad al-Katatni, head of the Brotherhood's Freedom and
Justice Party, stressed the need for compromise.
"There is no solution to the problems in our path to
democracy without dialogue... Dialogue must have guarantees but no
preconditions," he told journalists.
"All topics are up for discussion and all participants
said they were ready for compromises."
It remains to be seen whether the Al-Azhar document will
carry any weight on the street.
Peaceful and civilised
Even with few concrete points agreed, Thursday's talks
marked a blow for Morsi whose calls for dialogue were snubbed by the opposition
only last week.
In a statement, the presidency welcomed the document as
"an important step on the road to re-establishing stability".
The interior ministry said it respected "the right to
peaceful protest", but urged all political forces to ensure "a
peaceful and civilised" day, a spokesperson said.
Egypt has been gripped by unrest since rallies last week
marking the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled president Hosni
Mubarak.
The protests turned violent on Saturday after a Cairo court
sentenced 21 Port Said residents to death for their involvement in clashes in a
football stadium riot that killed 74 people.
Friday's protests also mark one year since the deadly events
in Port Said.
- SAPA
