Dozens die in Egypt as Mursi backers stage ‘day of rage’
Around 50 people killed in violent clashes in Cairo alone as more than 40 die in provincial cities
Islamist protests descended into a bloodbath across Egypt on Friday, with around 50 killed in Cairo alone on a “day of rage” called by followers of ousted President Mohammed Mursi to denounce a crackdown by the army-backed government.
As automatic gunfire echoed across Cairo, the stand-off seemed to be sliding ever faster towards armed confrontation, evoking past conflict between militant Islamists and the state in the most populous Arab nation.
More than 40 people were also killed in provincial cities, taking the overall toll close to 100, although the intense shooting eventually died down in Cairo at dusk as a curfew began.
While Western governments urged restraint after hundreds died when security forces cleared protest camps two days ago, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah endorsed the government’s tactics against the Muslim Brotherhood, saying on Friday his nation stood with Egypt in its battle against “terrorism”.
Army helicopters hovered low over supporters of Mursi’s Brotherhood in Ramses Square, the theatre of much of Friday’s bloodshed in Cairo, black smoke billowing from at least one huge blaze which lit up the night sky after sundown.
One witness saw the bodies of 27 people, apparently hit by gunfire and birdshot, wrapped in white sheets in a mosque. A photographer said security forces opened fire from numerous directions when a police station was attacked.