Egyptian security outwits anti-coup protesters

Protesters in Egypt planned a huge showing today, but security forces strategically blocked streets in Cairo to prevent them from gathering in a large group.

|
Ann Hermes/The Christian Science Monitor
Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and former President Mohamed Morsi protest in Giza after Friday prayers on August 30, 2013 in Cairo. A curfew is still in place for the city and many streets have been blocked by the military.

Thousands of protesters rallied in the capital and across the country today in large demonstrations against the military and in support of deposed President Mohamed Morsi, but their numbers still fell short of the massive show of strength some Islamist groups wanted.

Military and police locked down parts of the capital, blocking main roads and squares, forcing protests to stay dispersed throughout Cairo instead of gathering in one place. Thousands marched in several large protests on opposite points of the city, while smaller demonstrations gathered in some neighborhoods. Thousands also rallied in other cities across Egypt.

But after a relatively low turnout in protests last week, many were hoping for huge rallies to highlight the outrage directed at the military, which deposed Mr. Morsi last month and launched a bloody crackdown two weeks ago on his supporters and the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Morsi is a former leader. While some cities and areas saw large gatherings, the numbers in the capital were not what the Brotherhood and other Islamist groups could muster before the coup.

“The Egyptian media are deceiving people, saying we are terrorists,” says protester Heba Mahmoud in Giza, where a group of several hundred gathered, holding Morsi posters aloft and chanting energetically under the hot sun.

“The army has put tanks in the streets to stop us, and they shoot at us. We feel like it's not our country anymore, it's Sisi's country only,” she said, referring to head of the Army Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. “But still we are here. If they say the whole country supports Sisi, then let them leave the streets open.”

After the military removed Morsi from power on July 3 and installed a new interim government, his supporters gathered in two protest camps in Cairo and vowed to stay until he was reinstated. On Aug. 14 security forces cleared the camps using live ammunition, and killing hundreds. Authorities have since been arresting leaders and members of the Brotherhood in a crackdown the government casts as a “war on terrorism.” The campaign has damaged the organization's ability to communicate and mobilize supporters.

In the Mohandiseen neighborhood of the capital, thousands marched through the streets, holding aloft banners with the symbol of four raised fingers that has come to represent their movement against the military coup and crackdown. When a police helicopter hovered overhead, the crowd roared its disapproval. Young men ran ahead of the march to spray the Army chief's name on the asphalt so the marchers could stomp on it.

Many protesters said they were protesting not just for Morsi, but for a larger cause.

“I am not here to support one person. I am here to support democracy; I support freedom,” says Bassam Abdel Ghafar. Sweat poured down his face as he took a break from leading chants for female protesters, who marched separately behind the men. “I'm not from the Muslim Brotherhood, but I saw my friends killed in front of me, shot by the police,” he says.

The day was largely free of violence, though three people were reported killed in clashes outside of Cairo and police shot tear gas at one group of protesters in the late afternoon. But thousands remained on the streets as darkness fell and with it, the government-imposed curfew, raising the likelihood of clashes with police. 

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Egyptian security outwits anti-coup protesters
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2013/0830/Egyptian-security-outwits-anti-coup-protesters
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe