Day of Arson, Shooting and Terror

Day of Arson, Shooting and Terror

The Muslim Brotherhood’s 85th anniversary was marred by hostile opposition’s bloody and violent protests in so-called ‘Friday of Restoring Dignity’ outside the Guidance Bureau building in Cairo’s suburban city of Moqattam.

The day began quietly, with Brotherhood youths gathering slowly to form human chains around their headquarters to defend its buildings, while opposition calls intensified inciting thugs, Black Bloc militias and protesters to storm and burn down the building. By the end of the day, violence flared as armed protesters viciously attacked peaceful Brotherhood youths.

According to Karem Radwan, Muslim Brotherhood official in the group’s administrative office in central and south Cairo, the number of injuries in the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood outside the HQ exceeded 70 at that time and was rising fast.

Around the clock, news reports told of mindless savagery against the Muslim Brotherhood, with protesters’ Molotov cocktails setting a Brotherhood youth on fire. Fortunately, the youngster’s friends managed to control the fire that engulfed his whole body and put it out.

Meanwhile, Amr Kamel and Wahid Mansour, ‘Nabd’ (Pulse) news network correspondents, were wounded by gunfire in Moqattam. Wahid Mansour had to wait bleeding in a local mosque for a long time, as thugs prevented ambulances from reaching him.

Also, Mustafa Al-Khatib and Tariq Salama, Freedom and Justice Newspaper journalists, were assaulted by a number of Black Bloc and ‘Popular Current’ thugs while covering attacks on Muslim Brotherhood HQ in Moqattam. The two reporters are still in hospital suffering from serious injuries in different parts of their bodies.

Further, Mokattam protesters torched 4 buses in streets surrounding the area’s square. Witnesses said that the buses, which were burned down by protesters, had been carrying members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The perimeter of Bilal Ibn Rabah Mosque in Moqattam was the scene of attacks on Brotherhood youths by thugs wielding bladed weapons, clubs and pistols, which caused serious injuries to a large number of Brothers.

Dozens of thugs surrounded Al-Hamd mosque in Nafoora (Fountain) Square – with 5 people suffering live bullet wounds waiting inside for emergency services. The thugs repeatedly tried to storm the mosque, and prevented ambulances from reaching the injured inside.

A number of thugs attacked the headquarters of the FJP Secretariat in Cairo’s Manyal district, and smashed up all its contents. They also terrorized seven young ladies who had been making preparations for a celebration of Mother’s Day inside the Brotherhood headquarters.

Furthermore, a massive pro-Brotherhood march started from Aisha Square toward the group’s headquarters in Moqattam, raising a number of banners denouncing violence and demanding peaceful expression of opinion. At the same time, a hundreds-strong group of protesters arrived from Aisha district, and yet another from Talaat Harb led by a Black Bloc gang who did a military parade routine with knives and Molotov cocktail fire-bombs.

In several governorates across Egypt, dozens of thugs attacked FJP headquarters. In Mahalla, they threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the headquarters, which led to fires that gutted the offices.

In Alexandria, dozens of Black Bloc thugs – backed by National Salvation Front supporters – attacked FJP headquarters in the ‘Gleem’ district. They smashed up the HQ’s contents and stole what they could. In Asafra district, also in Alexandria, about thirty thugs tried to attack FJP headquarters, but were repelled by local residents.