Violence breeds violence, says ElBaradei

Over six weeks after his resignation, former Vice President for Foreign Affairs Mohamed ElBaradei has broken his silence on the forced dispersal of the Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins, saying “violence breeds violence.”

On Twitter on Sunday, ElBaradei pointed to a “systematic fascist campaign by ‘sovereign sources and independent media’ against upholding the value of human life and the inevitability of national consensus.”   

ElBaradei submitted his resignation on August 14, having been in office for only a month, to protest against the violent crackdown that day on two sit-ins in support of ousted President Mohamed Morsy. Hundreds were killed.

Three days after his resignation, ElBaradei boarded a plane to Austria. He has since kept a low profile, not giving the public much information apart from his resignation letter.

In the letter he expressed how it had become difficult to take “responsibility for decisions that I don't agree with and the consequences of which I fear, and I can't bear responsibility for one drop of blood in front of God, my conscience, and the people, especially as I believe that it could have been avoided.”

ElBaradei also wrote that he had suggested peaceful solutions to end the state of tension and reach national reconciliation, but that matters took a difficult and costly turn.

Sources close to ElBaradei inside the government had said that he had objected to the use of force in meetings with the National Defense Council.

During his month in office, news was leaked of disagreements between ElBaradei and other members of the Cabinet over the crackdown on the Brotherhood. ElBaradei repeatedly reiterated that he rejects resorting to violence.

Since his resignation, ElBaradei has been accused of “jumping ship” and being a traitor and an agent for foreign interests. He is currently facing trial on charges of committing treason by resigning from the vice presidency for foreign affairs despite being entrusted by the National Salvation Front, a body of anti-Brotherhood political forces, to take a leading position in the post-Morsi government.