Egyptian authorities offered “safe passage and protection” Thursday to thousands of supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi if they abandon their two large sit-ins in Cairo. The offer was seen as the first step by Egypt’s new leadership toward the use of force one day after the military-backed government ordered protests to end.
For weeks, Morsi’s supporters have been occupying two squares in Cairo — Rabaah al-Adawiya in Nasr City and Nahdet Misr near Cairo University — to protest his ouster on July 3. They have vowed to remain until the former president is released from military detention and reinstated.
The government’s latest move came as an influential ultraconservative cleric warned that any violence to break up the protests will lead to more bloodshed.
The organizers of the sit-ins say the protests are evidence of the enduring support for Morsi’s once-dominant Muslim Brotherhood. But mass rallies called out July 26 by the military leader, Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, also showed that a large segment of the Egyptian population backs the armed forces’ actions against the ousted president.
On Wednesday, Egypt’s military-backed Cabinet ordered the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the police, to disband the sit-ins, arguing they terrorized citizens and posed a threat to national security.
“The Interior Ministry … calls on those in the squares of Rabaah al-Adawiya and Nahda to listen to the sound of reason, side with the national interest and quickly leave,” Interior Ministry spokesman Hany Abdel-Latif said in a televised address. “Whoever responds to this call will have a safe passage and protection,” he added.
Responding to the Interior Ministry warning, an alliance of Morsi’s supporters said that the sit-ins were peaceful and would continue, and that the alliance “€œplaces full responsibility on the coup leaders for any acts of violence or killings.”
The government offer raised the possibility of another round of violence if security forces move in on the Morsi supporters.
By Thursday afternoon, there were no significant actions against the protesters in either camp. An army helicopter flew low over the eastern Cairo sit-in, where protesters — many wearing helmets and carrying sticks — spoke of being ready for martyrdom. At one end of the camp, sandbags and bricks were erected against a possible attack.
Shortly before sunset, the demonstrators chanted “Execute el-Sissi!” and loudspeakers blared songs supporting Morsi.
“A revolution until victory — Morsi is back to the palace,” one song went as men danced to the music.
Egyptian police have a track record of deadly crackdowns on street protests, and Wednesday’s Cabinet move effectively gave security forces the mandate to act as they see fit. At least 130 Morsi supporters have died in such clashes since his ouster.
Al-Jazeera broadcast an emotional appeal by influential cleric Mohammed Hasaan, who warned the military that a bloody confrontation would plunge it into conflict with Egypt’s Islamists.
“The right of life is great, and no one has the right to take it away, except God,” Hasaan said in a 17-minute address. “Don’t let your brothers be slaughtered because they differ with you politically or because they went out to defend what they think is right.”
The military overthrew Morsi in a coup following protests by millions of people demanding that he step down after a year in office as Egypt’s first democratically elected president.
He has been in detention since, along with several leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi’s Islamist supporters demand that he be reinstated and refuse to join the military-sponsored political process.
About the Author
