Tense in Tahrir

Neighborhood watch groups filed into the main street of Dokki to prevent the arrival of Muslim Brotherhood’s cars at Nahda Square. Some activists even agreed to be armed, a request from the Dokki Police Station, a move that is being considered to activate community policing.

Tense in Tahrir

Neighborhood watch groups filed into the main street of Dokki to prevent the arrival of Muslim Brotherhood’s cars at Nahda Square. Some activists even agreed to be armed, a request from the Dokki Police Station, a move that is being considered to activate community policing.

There is an atmosphere of war in Tahrir Street – in the Giza Governorate – the most famous street in Egypt. There are no pedestrians; only a few taxicabs vainly looking for passengers. All shops closed before noon and two hours before the state of emergency declared by President Adly Mansour.

Adel abdallah, Cairo

Copts in the fireline

On Wednesday evening, hundreds of pro-Morsi supporters in Minya made fierce attacks on churches and property belonging to Copts, in protest at the dispersion of the sit-ins in the neighborhoods of Rabia and Nahda in Cairo. Violent protesters burned St. Theodore Church in Sednawi Square, only 500 meter away from the State Security headquarters and Copt private schools.

Minya – Maher Husseini

Qena burns…

Qena soon caught fire too. Muslim Brotherhood supporters set fire to the Qena Court of First Instance and the nearby home of the governor. Civil Defense Forces and fire engines soon arrived to quell the fires, while pro-Morsi supporters threw Molotov cocktails on adavancing fire engines.

Police and officials’ cars have also been burnt.

Essra Mohareb – Qena

…but also heals

For the first time in the history of the politically-inert Qena Governorate, pro-Morsi supporters established a field hospital in Sa’aa Square, in downtown Qena, following clashes between their followers and the police.  The police had fired warning shots into the air to disperse the demonstrators in front of the governorate headquarters because they tried to break into it and set fire to a number of nearby trees and buildings.

The streets leading to the governorate headquarters witness continuous waves of attack-and-retreat between pro-Morsi supporters and the police.

Essra Mohareb  – Qena

Police targets for repercussions

Local police in Asyut are being targeted by wounded militias as revenge for the army’s use of force to disperse sit-ins.

“This morning, Muslim Brothers attacked us and burned a police car when they knew the sit-ins in the neighborhoods of Rabia and Nahda were being dispersed,” said Muhammad Sayed, one of the policemen tasked with securing Asyut train station. “It is as if they think we are behind the June 30^th revolution, even though we stand at the same distance from the Brotherhood. We are however against their practices.”

The repercussion from Brotherhood adherents in Asyut targeted not only the police, but also the Copts and their shops and churches. Shops belonging to Copts were destroyed in the streets of Yusri Ragheb, Gumhouriya and Mahatta, St. George Church and the church of the Adventists in Yusri Ragheb Street in western Asyut set on fire.

“I do not know why the Brotherhood and the Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya hate us even though we love Muslims and we have good relations with them. My neighbors are Muslims and we are friends. They are dissatisfied with what Islamists do in the country because they want to drive a wedge between Muslims and Copts, which will never happen,” said George Matthew, a worker at the Bible Society of Egypt

Asyut – Islam Radwan

Speeding to keep the curfew

After a tough day reporting, I found myself fighting the clock to make it back to my town of Tama, in Sohag, before the curfew. I found that there were only a few taxicabs at the station and I could only find a ride to the town of Sodfa, the last town in southern Asyut Governorate. I eventually found anothe taxi home.

The driver I found was in an equal hurry: “Get in quickly! We must go before the curfew.” But ultimately our driver, Muhammad Ahmad, was more interested in putting as many passenger as possible in his taxi and getting double fees, than in giving us time to comply with the curfew. We made it before 7pm, narrowly avoiding several accidents.

Asyut – Islam Radwan