At least 2,000 Islamist supporters of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi marched through downtown Cairo on Monday, calling for his reinstatement and denouncing the army general who led his overthrew. The protest took place as international envoys spoke to leaders of both sides of the crisis in the search for a political solution and avert further bloodshed.
Marchers chanted ‘Morsi, Morsi’ and ‘We are not terrorists’, and waved pictures of the ousted leader. Others sprayed graffiti on walls and statues insulting army chief general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the overthrow of Morsi on 3 July following mass protests against his presidency.
Security forces made no immediate attempt to disperse the protesters, who marched 10 abreast, stretching several blocks. The march showed that tension was still running dangerously high in Egypt ore than a month after Morsi’s removal, despite the international efforts to mediate a peaceful settlement.
In the early hours of Monday, the envoys visited a high-ranking member of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood in jail, the crisis, the state news agency MENA reported. Mena said they talked with deputy Brotherhood leader Khairat El-Shater at Tora prison, south of Cairo, but it gave no further details. The US embassy declined to confirm or deny the meeting. Shater is deputy leader of the group that propelled Morsi to office last year. Seen as the Brotherhood’s political strategist, he was arrested after Morsi’s downfall on charges of inciting violence.
The international mediation effort has so far helped to contain conflict between Morsi’s Islamist backers and the security forces. Thousands of Morsi supporters remain camped out in two Cairo sit-ins, which the government has declared a threat to national security and pledged to disperse. The army-backed interim government said it would give mediation a chance but warned that time was limited. Al Masry Al Youm, a privately owned newspaper, said Shater was visited by a delegation including US deputy secretary of state William Burns and EU envoy Bernardino Leon.
Marchers chanted ‘Morsi, Morsi’ and ‘We are not terrorists’, and waved pictures of the ousted leader. Others sprayed graffiti on walls and statues insulting army chief general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the overthrow of Morsi on 3 July following mass protests against his presidency.
Security forces made no immediate attempt to disperse the protesters, who marched 10 abreast, stretching several blocks. The march showed that tension was still running dangerously high in Egypt ore than a month after Morsi’s removal, despite the international efforts to mediate a peaceful settlement.
In the early hours of Monday, the envoys visited a high-ranking member of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood in jail, the crisis, the state news agency MENA reported. Mena said they talked with deputy Brotherhood leader Khairat El-Shater at Tora prison, south of Cairo, but it gave no further details. The US embassy declined to confirm or deny the meeting. Shater is deputy leader of the group that propelled Morsi to office last year. Seen as the Brotherhood’s political strategist, he was arrested after Morsi’s downfall on charges of inciting violence.
The international mediation effort has so far helped to contain conflict between Morsi’s Islamist backers and the security forces. Thousands of Morsi supporters remain camped out in two Cairo sit-ins, which the government has declared a threat to national security and pledged to disperse. The army-backed interim government said it would give mediation a chance but warned that time was limited. Al Masry Al Youm, a privately owned newspaper, said Shater was visited by a delegation including US deputy secretary of state William Burns and EU envoy Bernardino Leon.