Egyptian forces smash protesters
More than 70 killed as authorities crack down on followers of ousted leader
Cairo — The Egyptian authorities unleashed a ferocious attack on Islamist protesters early Saturday, killing at least 72 people in the second mass killing of demonstrators in three weeks and the deadliest attack by the security services since Egypt’s uprising in early 2011.
The attack provided further evidence that Egypt’s security establishment was reasserting its dominance after President Mohammed Morsi’s ouster three weeks ago, and widening its crackdown on his Islamist allies in the Muslim Brotherhood. The tactics— many victims were killed with gunshot wounds to the head or the chest — suggested that Egypt’s security services felt no need to show any restraint.
The killings occurred a day after hundreds of thousands of Egyptians marched in support of the military, responding to a call by its commander for a “mandate” to fight terrorism.
“They had orders to shoot to kill,” said Gehad el-Haddad, a Brotherhood spokesman. The message, he said, was, “This is the new regime.”
In Washington, Secretary of State John Kerry called this “a pivotal moment for Egypt” and urged its leaders “to help their country take a step back from the brink.”
The killings occurred a day after hundreds of thousands of Egyptians marched in support of the military, responding to a call by its commander for a “mandate” to fight terrorism. The appeal by Gen. Abdel- Fattah el-Sissi, who has emerged as Egypt’s de facto leader since the military removed Morsi from power, was widely seen as a green light to the security forces to increase their repression of the Islamists.
In the attack Saturday, civilians joined police officers in firing live ammunition at the protesters. By early morning, the flood of wounded people had overwhelmed doctors at a nearby field hospital.
One doctor sat by himself, crying as he whispered verses from the Quran. Nearby, medics tried to revive a man on a gurney. When they failed he was quickly lifted away, to make room for the many others.
With hundreds of people gravely wounded, the toll seemed certain to rise, and by Saturday evening had surpassed the more than 60 deaths on July 8, when soldiers and police officers fired on pro-Morsi demonstrators.
As the deaths have mounted, more than 200 since the government was overthrown, hopes have faded for a political solution to the standoff between the military and the Brotherhood, whose leaders, including Morsi, are imprisoned or preparing themselves for jail.
In a televised news conference hours after the clash, Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim absolved his men of any responsibility. His officers, he said, “have never and will never shoot a bullet on any Egyptian.”
He blamed the Brotherhood for the deaths, referring to its leaders as “those who preach and incite violence.” And he suggested that further repression was imminent as the authorities prepared to break up sit-ins that thousands of Morsi’s supporters have held for weeks.