Brotherhood protests turn violent outside of Cairo

Muslim Brotherhood supporters have continued protesting on Friday, with some of their marches outside of Cairo turning violent, media and eyewitnesses reported. 

Fayoum saw most of the clashes today as Muslim Brotherhood protesters marched in the city to demand the reinstatement of toppled President Mohamed Morsi. The privately-owned Al-Masry Al-Youm stated that the clashes started when the protesters reached the area of the Fayoum Security Directorate and started throwing rocks at it. The security forces threw tear gas canisters at the protesters to disperse them and the clashes quickly developed into an exchange of birdshot and stones. The newspaper said over 30 people were injured. 

Al-Shafei Hassan, a senior officer at the Ministry of Interior in Fayoum said that the police only fired tear gas after Muslim Brotherhood protesters attempted to storm the Security Directorate.

A similar account was reported by the state-run Middle East News Agency in the Delta city of Sharqiya, where dozens of Morsi's supporters were injured in clashes with the police. 

MENA also reported scuffles between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and locals as the former were distributing flyers against the army at a mosque in the Delta city of Mahalla. 

Inter-communal fighting between Brotherhood supporters and locals was also reported by Al-Masry Al-Youm in a village in Daqahlia, in the Delta of Egypt. According to the newspaper's local stringers, the sheikh of the mosque praised the army in his sermon, which angered Morsi's supporters who chanted against the military inside the mosque. The scene developed into clashes in and around the mosque between Brotherhood supporters and their opponents and four were reportedly injured. 

Meanwhile, marches were staged throughout the day in Cairo toward the main sit-ins organized by the Muslim Brotherhood in Nahda Square and around the Rabea al-Adaweya mosque. 

Morsi was ousted by a military intervention on July 3 following mass protests demanding his resignation. Ever since, his supporters have been protesting to demand his reinstatement. 

The government has been warning of the sit-ins' dispersal, asking Muslim Brotherhood supporters to leave peacefully.