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Egypt exploded in turmoil this weekend with at least 22 people killed in clashes over an unpopular court verdict Saturday following a day of politically charged violence throughout the country. The clashes in the northeastern city of Port Said came after a judge sentenced 21 people to death for their roles in a football game riot last year. Angry relatives of those convicted clashed with security forces outside the prison, leaving nearly two dozen people killed and more than 200 wounded, the Health Ministry said. Two police officers were among the dead, the head of Port Said hospitals told state TV.
About 90 miles south of Port Said, in the gulf city of Suez, the government deployed troops Saturday to quell clashes that erupted a day earlier on the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. The clashes between anti-government protesters and those loyal to President Mohamed Morsy prompted the head of provincial security to declare the region "out of control." Brig. Gen. Adel Refat requested armed forces to intervene after he said police were fired upon, state-run EGYNews reported. Protesters accused Egyptian forces of opening fire during the demonstrations, a claim Refat strongly denied.
By Saturday morning, according to official Egyptian news agencies, armored military vehicles were deployed throughout Suez, a city of about 500,000 on the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez. Meanwhile, in Cairo, thousands of protesters were in a standoff with police overnight outside the offices of state-run Nile TV. Some tossed Molotov cocktails at police, who in turn responded with tear gas. Friday saw clashes in Ismalia, just north of Suez on the Suez Canal, where protesters torched the main office of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, state TV reported.
Saturday's events came as Morsy met with his defense council over how to calm the unrest. Prime Minister Hesham Kandil vowed to hold perpetrators accountable, according to state-run MENA. The Suez Canal Authority said navigation was not affected by the Port Said clashes and that the canal's northern entrance was secure, according to state media. Nationwide, more than 450 protesters and nearly 100 members of security forces were hurt in demonstrations that marked the two-year anniversary of the Mubarak uprising. The weekend unrest in Egypt is the latest in violent demonstrations that have targeted Morsy. Before he came to power he led the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist group that was banned under Mubarak.
More Egypt deploys troops to Suez to quell 'out of control' clashes - CNN.com
The unrest was the latest in a bout of violence that has left a total of 38 people dead in two days, including 11 killed in clashes between police and protesters marking Friday's second anniversary of the uprising that overthrew longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. President Mohammed Morsi canceled a scheduled trip to Ethiopia Saturday and instead met for the first time with top generals as part of the newly formed National Defense Council.
The violence in Port Said erupted after a judge sentenced 21 people to death in connection with the Feb. 1 soccer melee that killed 74 fans of the Cairo-based Al-Ahly team. Executions in Egypt are usually carried out by hanging. All the defendants - who were not present in the courtroom Saturday for security reasons - can appeal the verdict. Judge Sobhi Abdel-Maguid did not give his reasoning when he read out the verdicts for 21 out of the 73 defendants Saturday. The verdict for the remaining 52 defendants, including nine security officials, is scheduled to be delivered March 9. Some have been charged with murder and others with assisting the attackers.
Die-hard soccer fans from both teams, known as Ultras, hold the police at least partially responsible for February's violence, which was the world's worst soccer violence in 15 years, saying officers at the game did nothing to stop the bloodshed. They also criticize Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi for doing little to reform the police force or the judiciary since he took office in July. The opposition says Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected and civilian president, and his Muslim Brotherhood allies in government have failed to restore stability amid continued political turmoil and crime, and point to a worsening economy.
In a statement Saturday, the main opposition National Salvation Front said it holds Morsi responsible for "the excessive use of force by the security forces against protesters." They threatened to boycott upcoming parliamentary elections if Morsi does not meet their demands that include amending articles in the new constitution. The Brotherhood said in its statement that "misleading" media outlets were to blame for "enflaming the people's hatred for the current regime and urging them to act violently."
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