"Anger against the country’s military rulers also spilled into the streets where a protester was killed late Saturday outside the Ministry of Defense. Protesters clashed for three hours with unidentified assailants supporting the military, throwing rocks, firebombs, and glass bottles at each other....
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CAIRO - As least 11 people were killed after assailants attacked protesters staging a sit-in near Egypt’s Ministry of Defense early Wednesday, sparking hours of clashes that threw the coming presidential election into disarray as at least five candidates announced the suspension of their campaigns to protest the deaths.
The victims, killed by gunfire, clubs, or knives, included a third-year medical student from Luxor and several young men from the Cairo neighborhood Abbasiyah, where the fighting occurred, doctors said. It went for hours with no intervention from the authorities - suggesting the possibility of government complicity - as opposing sides fought a pitched battle hurling stones and incendiary devices, turning a residential neighborhood into a war zone marked by scattered fires.
At around 1 p.m., the security services suddenly arrived and the fighting stopped.
One of the presidential front-runners, Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, a former Muslim Brotherhood leader who has attracted leftists and liberals with his candidacy, suspended his campaign indefinitely, writing on Twitter: “We can’t discuss tomorrow while our youth are drowning in their blood today.’’
One of his main rivals, Amr Moussa, a former Egyptian minister, announced that he was not suspending his campaign but that he was stopping television advertising temporarily and had “canceled many events.’’ In a statement, Moussa criticized the security services for standing “idly by.’’
Both candidates had been scheduled to appear in a much-anticipated debate Thursday night, but that too was delayed because of the violence. Yosri Fouda, a journalist who was to moderate the debate, announced on his Twitter account that it would be postponed until next week.
Four other candidates also suspended their campaigns, including Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate; Khalid Ali, a human rights lawyer; and Hamdeen Sabbahi, an activist and founder of the Nasserist Party.
In a morning briefing for foreign reporters, Morsi warned the ruling military council against using the violence as an excuse to delay the elections, reflecting a widespread fear that the council is looking for a pretense to retain power. But his comments also reflected an intensifying power struggle between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military as the presidential vote approaches....
In statements released through official outlets, the military did not exactly assuage the fears....
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"Egyptian military vows to step down; But rulers warn against protests" by Maggie Michael | ASSOCIATED press, May 04, 2012
Wouldn't be the first time a military did that.
Major General Mohammed al-Assar told a news conference: “Have mercy on the Supreme Council,’’ he pleaded. “Our hands are clean of Egyptian blood.’’
These guys are no better than the.... oh, right, they ARE THE LAST CROP!
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Massachusetts Democrat John F. Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called Wednesday’s violence disturbing during a visit to Egypt and said the United States stands by the right of Egyptian people to express their political rights. “We urge the government to investigate these events and . . . hold those committed them accountable,’’ he said.
He met with Egypt’s military ruler, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, and said he “was crystal clear with me. He is very determined and very adamant that he and [the Supreme Council] in full intend to turn over power. In fact, I think they can’t wait. I think they are anxious. . . . They want to see this election happen.’’
He added that they are even ready to hand off power before June, if a candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote during the first round of elections.
Didn't happen, far from it.
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"Egypt protest ends violently; Hundreds hurt as election nears" by Maggie Michael | Associated Press, May 05, 2012
CAIRO - Egyptian troops blasted protesters with water cannons, tear gas, and live ammunition Friday, trying to prevent them from marching on the Defense Ministry in clashes that left one soldier dead and hundreds of people injured just three weeks ahead of presidential elections.
The fierce street battles raised fears of a new cycle of violence
surrounding the upcoming vote to replace Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted
more than a year ago. For the first time in Egypt’s chaotic transition,
hard-line Islamists, rather than secular forces, were at the forefront
of the confrontation with the military rulers who have been accused of
trying to cling to power.
Uh-oh.
The military council imposed an 11 p.m.-to-7 a.m. curfew on the area surrounding the Defense Ministry, which has emerged as a flashpoint for the protesters’ anger after nine people were killed on Wednesday in clashes between unidentified assailants and protesters who mainly comprised supporters of a disqualified Islamist presidential candidate.
Unidentified assailants is the AmeriKan media's way of saying government thugs.
The violence has thrown the campaign for the May 23-24 elections into turmoil, with two front-runners and several other candidates temporarily suspending their campaigns to protest the military’s handling of the situation.
Uh-oh.
The military council imposed an 11 p.m.-to-7 a.m. curfew on the area surrounding the Defense Ministry, which has emerged as a flashpoint for the protesters’ anger after nine people were killed on Wednesday in clashes between unidentified assailants and protesters who mainly comprised supporters of a disqualified Islamist presidential candidate.
Unidentified assailants is the AmeriKan media's way of saying government thugs.
The violence has thrown the campaign for the May 23-24 elections into turmoil, with two front-runners and several other candidates temporarily suspending their campaigns to protest the military’s handling of the situation.
Thousands of demonstrators massed in Cairo’s downtown Tahrir Square - the epicenter of last year’s popular uprising - earlier Friday for what has become a weekly rally to demand that the generals speed up a transition to civilian rule. Protesters included the powerful Muslim Brotherhood and ultraconservative Islamists known as Salafis but also revolutionary youth who spearheaded the mass rallies that ousted Mubarak.
Meaning THE PEOPLE!
Despite official warnings against gathering, groups marched to the district of Abbasiyah to join a sit-in outside the Defense Ministry initially held by supporters of Hazem Abu Ismail. A lawyer-turned-preacher, hard-line Abu Ismail, was disqualified from the race because his late mother allegedly held dual Egyptian-American citizenship, making him ineligible under election laws. He has encouraged his followers to take to the streets.
Stone-washed protesters.
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"Hundreds held after clashes outside Egypt’s Defense Ministry" by Sarah El Deeb | Associated Press, May 06, 2012
CAIRO - Military prosecutors ordered the detention of 300 protesters on accusations of attacking troops and disrupting public order during violent clashes outside the Defense Ministry, a prosecution official said Saturday.
The Friday clashes were some of the worst near the headquarters of the country’s ruling generals and occurred just three weeks before Egyptians are to head to the polls to vote in a landmark presidential election to see who will head the nation after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak last year.
As the May 23 election approaches, many Egyptians are worried that
the military council that assumed power after Mubarak will not hand over
power to a civilian government. The protesters at the ministry were
demanding that the military council step down.
After plans were announced for massive rallies Friday, the ruling generals warned demonstrators to stay away from the ministry building. They moved swiftly Saturday to prosecute protesters.
The hundreds of people detained Friday will be held for 15 days pending investigation, the official said. They face charges of attacking military troops, being present in a restricted military area despite warnings, and disrupting public order. The detainees are likely to face military trials.
At least 26 women were also being held, the official said speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Hours later, the military general prosecutor, Adel el-Morsi, ordered in a statement the release of all female detainees; no reason was given. Morsi said officials were still interrogating people.
The official said at least two of the detainees are also facing charges of killing one soldier during the clashes.
What about the DEAD PROTESTER?
The military council had warned the demonstrators before the march that deadly force would be used against them if they approached the ministry. One warned protesters that they would be approaching the “lion’s den.’’
But no blood on their hands.
More than 300 people were injured by tear gas, rocks, and live fire. Security officials said 140 soldiers were injured.
An overnight curfew was imposed after the clashes. A military official said a curfew would be in place again from 11 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday around the ministry.
Major General Mukhtar al-Mullah, a member of the military council, warned late Friday that those involved in or instigating violence would be arrested.
Lawyer Ragia Omran said the roundup is one of the largest mass arrests after protests during the country’s troubled transition. She said the number of detainees could still rise.
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Still too much blood on the floor.
