Protesters call for Morsi’s blood
It took Egyptians three decades to remove Hosni Mubarak from power and only three days to topple President Mohamed Morsi, his successor and the country’s first democratically elected president.
‘‘This is it, I know in my heart that the army will stop Morsi tonight. I don’t care if they kill him or arrest him,’’ Abeer Said, a 33-year-old protester, said. ‘‘By tomorrow I don’t want to call him my president any more. If Morsi wants to say that he’ll only leave over his dead body, then that is what we’ll give him.’’
The tens of thousands of protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square fell into an eerie silence as state television began its broadcast of the announcement that ended Morsi’s rule.
When the message was clear, the crowd erupted into a cacophony of cheers, horns and whistles as fireworks burst above them and laser lights criss-crossed the clear night sky and bounced off the Apache helicopters that circled overhead.
‘‘Full power’’ had been taken away from Morsi, they were told.
‘‘I feel so happy it is like my heart cannot contain itself. I cannot believe the Egyptian people achieved this,’’ said Amr Shoun, who had camped out in front of the Presidential Palace for three days.
‘‘Morsi let us down, his Muslim Brotherhood party deceived us. Now the Egyptian people have shown what we do with leaders who are unjust.’’
As Shoun spoke, his friends hoisted him on to their shoulders and joined the throngs dancing in the streets and singing at the top of their voices everything from the songs of the late beloved Egyptian singerUmmKulthum to the national anthem.
‘‘We are so thankful to the army. We trust them, we love them, we believe that they will set this country on the right course,’’ said Shoun.
Some began calling for Morsi’s ‘‘body and blood’’ in a reference to a speech the former leader delivered on Wednesday in which he said he would defend his government by whatever means necessary.
‘‘He said he would give his blood to stay in office and now he has been ousted. So he should keep his promise and give us his blood,’’ said Ahmed Moursa, a 19-year-old protester.
He joined a group of friends who tried to march to Rabba Mosque, near the Presidential Palace, which has become a base for supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The group was still several miles away when they were stopped by Egyptian soldiers, who told them that the Brotherhood was being ‘‘contained’’ and that for their own protection they should leave the area.
Mamdouh Badr, an activist with the opposition Tamarod movement, said: ‘‘Even if the army takes power for now it is better than the Brotherhood. Better to go back two years and restart the revolution, than to go back several hundred years with the Islamists.’’