Clashes in Cairo leave dozens of Morsi supporters dead

[DJKeefy]

Violent clashes in north Cairo leave dozens of Morsi supporters dead.

The Muslim Brotherhood claims 120 killed in overnight violence with police near Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque; Ministry of Health says only 21 dead arrived at hospitals so far according to health ministry.

Police continue to fire tear gas around Rabaa Al-Adawiya Mosque in Cairo's Nasr City District as scuffles are still ongoing with supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi, state news agency MENA reported Saturday.

According to MENA, hundreds of protesters are pelting stones at security forces and have set fire to tires near barbed wire baracades that police set up to prevent protesters from advancing.

Violence erupted in the early hours of Saturday at the Unknown Soldier Memorial, located near Rabaa Al-Adawyia Mosque, when police clashed with pro-Morsi protesters seeking to block the nearby 6th of October Bridge.

The Muslim Brotherhood claims that at least 120 people were killed and 4,500 injured, according to figures from the makeshift field hospital of the pro-Morsi sit-in staged around Rabaa Al-Adawiya.

However, Egypt's health ministry announced that only 21 dead have arrived at public hospitals, while 177 others are injured.

A security source told MENA earlier that the police did not use live fire against protesters and said they only used teargas to disperse the crowds.

Meanwhile, the National Alliance to Support Legitimacy, a pro-Morsi coalition of mainly Islamist parties led by the Muslim Brotherhood, issued a statement describing what happened as a "massacre."

In its account, it said that as the number of protesters at Rabaa Al-Adawiya increased, many moved through nearby roads. The statement claimed that police fired tear gas at protesters and then started firing birdshot and live rounds.

The alliance condemned the violence and vowed that it will continue its sit-in at Rabaa Al-Adawiya.

For weeks, thousands of pro-Morsi protesters have been staging a sit-in near Rabaa Al-Adawyia Mosque and another at Giza's Al-Nahda Square in front of Cairo University. They have also been organising marches across Egypt to demand the reinstatement of Morsi as president.

The Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, organised mass protests Friday in an attempt to counterbalance mass demonstrations called for by army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, aimed at providing the army and the police with "mandate to deal with violence and potential terrorism."

Responding to El-Sisi's call, millions hit the streets across the country Friday, chanting against Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood and in support of the Egyptian army.

After one year in office, Morsi was ousted 3 July as part of the Egyptian Armed Forces' roadmap, enforced shortly after unprecedented mass protests against the former elected president.

Morsi supporters and opponents have frequently faced off since his overthrow, leaving at least 100 dead and hundreds injured in the past few weeks. Both camps have used firearms, among other weapons, against each other on many occasions.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/77515.aspx

[Bullet Magnet]

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