Prime minister defends dispersal of sit-ins

In a televised statement Wednesday evening, Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi said that the decision to disperse the two sit-ins supporting ousted President Mohamed Morsi was difficult but had become necessary for the security and comfort of Egyptians.

The decision to disperse the sit-ins by force on Wednesday has come under attack from members of the Cabinet itself, most notably Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei who resigned as a protest of the use of violence.

Despite the large number of casualties, Beblawi claimed that police exercised maximum self-restraint while dealing with protesters and thanked them for their efforts.

Regarding the state of emergency put in place today for one month, Beblawi said this was also a difficult but necessary choice and promised that it would be lifted as soon as possible.

He said that the situation had spiraled out of control, forcing the state to intervene and restore security to allow for the stability necessary for the economy to recover.

Beblawi said the sit-ins contained illegal arms and cited attacks on police stations and other buildings as proof of wrongdoing necessitating state intervention.

His statement closely echoed that of Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, also televised this evening.

While Beblawi did not condemn any use of violence by the state, he said the bloodshed is sad and that he hopes Egyptians use the time they will spend under a state of emergency to think and build a state for all Egyptians. 

Amid fears of prosecution of Morsi supporters under the state of emergency, Beblawi asserted that everyone has rights in a state of law and that he hopes that Egyptians will build a democratic civil state for all people from all segments of society.

Sit-ins at Giza's Nahda Square and around Rabea al-Adaweya Mosque have been demanding the reinstatement of Morsi since he was ousted on July 3, following mass protests from June 30. Early on Wednesday both were forcibly dispersed. The Health Ministry currently puts the death toll at 235, but the Muslim Brotherhood from which Morsi hails has put it in the thousands.