Egyptian protesters hit power grab by Morsi
CAIRO—Tens of thousands have packed Tahrir Square to protest a power grab by Mohamed Morsi, piling pressure on Egypt’s Islamist president as he faces his most divisive crisis since taking power in June.
The huge turnout in the iconic square in the heart of Cairo, as well as in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and most of Egypt’s 27 provinces on Tuesday, marked the largest mobilization yet against the president.
Elsewhere in the country, protesters enraged by Morsi’s decision to grant himself sweeping powers attacked three regional headquarters belonging to the president’s Muslim Brotherhood movement, a security official said.
In Tahrir, protesters who had voted for Morsi in the election joined forces with die-hard opponents of the Islamist.
“I’m here to protest Morsi’s autocratic decisions,” said Mo- hammed Rashwan, an engineering graduate who voted for Morsi in the country’s first presidential election since a popular uprising toppled Hosni Mubarak last year.
Three people have died in clashes since Morsi decreed his new powers.
A rival rally in Cairo by the Muslim Brotherhood on Tuesday in support of the president was called off to “avoid potential unrest” but that has done little to abate the split between Morsi’s supporters and foes.
Meanwhile US officials said Washington was closely following the drama unfolding in Egypt, with a warning that Cairo could put vast amounts of international aid at stake if it veers back off the democratic course.
The situation was evolving, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
“I think we don’t yet know what the outcome of those are going to be. But that’s a far cry from an autocrat just saying, my way or the highway,” she said.
Despite her carefully worded statement on Tuesday, the US embassy in Cairo seemed to suggest that Egypt was indeed on the path to a new dictatorship.
“The Egyptian people made clear in the January 25th revolution that they have had enough of dictatorship,” the embassy tweeted in a message on its Twitter account.