Three dead, hundreds arrested nationwide in Friday protests

On the first day of the “week of anger” protests launched by the Muslim Brotherhood on Friday, three demonstrators reportedly died in clashes with security forces across the nation, according to the Interior Ministry.

The Ministry of Health said that twelve others were injured. Security sources claimed that the injuries were caused by gunshots fired by Brotherhood-affiliated protesters.

Ongoing protests led by supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi have intensified since the interim government declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group on Wednesday. Friday’s protests were held under the slogan “against the terrorism of the coup.”

The Alliance to Support Legitimacy and Reject the Coup issued a statement on Friday calling today’s protest “the start of a critical stage of revolutionary escalation,” adding that the group is determined to beat what they called “the terrorism of the coup” with peaceful protests.

But the protests devolved into violent clashes in Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta, Minya, Ismailia, Suez, Fayoum, Sohag and other governorates.

In Cairo, demonstrations were concentrated in Nasr City, with Al-Azhar University as a focal point. Protesters blocked several streets in Nasr City and Haram.

Clashes between students and security forces continued into Friday evening near the Al-Azhar University gates. Live footage showed students throwing rocks at security forces, who responded with water cannons and tear gas.

The head of Al-Azhar University’s security team, Mahmoud Seheida, said in a phone interview with the privately owned CBC television channel that four were arrested today during clashes around the university, in addition to the 11 who were arrested on Thursday. Seheida claimed that five of those arrested over the past two days were not Al-Azhar students.

Seheida claimed that security forces were only using water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protests, which he alleged were attempting to halt the upcoming exams. He asserted that the university was intent on holding final exams as scheduled.

Protests in Minya resulted in one casualty and an attempt to storm a police station that left the head of intelligence wounded, reported the state-run daily Al-Ahram.

In another phone interview with CBC, Damietta security chief Abou Bakr al-Hadidi said that one died and 20 others were arrested during protests in that governorate on Friday. Hadidi accused Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated protesters of firing pellets and live ammunition, which he said resulted in the fatality and injuries.  

In Ismailia, security chief Ahmed al-Kassas said that after 800 protesters started marching after Friday prayers, a suspect on a motorbike began driving through the streets firing live ammunition.

The security forces “dealt with them [the protests] according to the law,” dispersing the demonstrations and arresting 15 people, Kassas claimed.