Millions have taken to the streets across Egypt to demand the resignation of President Morsi on the first anniversary of his inauguration. But Morsi loyalists are staging counter-demonstrations, saying they will defend the leader with all means available.
6:37 GMT: US President Barack Obama has urged his Egyptian counterpart to address the issues raised by the demonstrators in the mass protests that erupted over the weekend.
“President Obama encouraged President Morsi to take steps to show that he is responsive to their concerns, and underscored that the current crisis can only be resolved through a political process,” the White House said in a statement on Tuesday. It added that the Obama Administration does not support any one party in Egypt, but is committed to the “democratic process.”
05:54 GMT: Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi has rejected the army ultimatum to resolve the crisis in 48 hours. The military insisted that otherwise they will introduce a roadmap for the country’s future, stressing that the national security was at risk.
01:40 GMT: Minister of state for legal and parliamentary affairs Hatem Begato along with minister of communications Atef Helmy, minister of environment Khaled Fahmy, water minister Abdel Qawy Khalifa and tourism minister Hesham Zazou all resigned on Monday according to state news agency MENA. In that joint action, the five government members announced their intention to abandon Morsi’s cabinet and join protests demanding the president’s ouster and early elections. They were later followed by foreign minister Kamel Amr.
In addition to the ministerial resignations five secular Shura Council MPs had also tendered official resignations on Monday, only a few days earlier fifteen other MPs had submitted their resignations in protest to President Morsi’s speech on Wednesday, which the opposition has said offered no solutions for the current political polarization still rocking Egypt’s government.
23:50 GMT: AlHayat TV has reported that Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Mourad Ali has rejected the 48-hour deadline imposed by Egypt’s army, during which time Morsi’s government is intended to reconcile with protesters and end widescale public unrest. Ali said that the Army has no rights to set ultimatums for the country’s government.
23:27 GMT:
21:34 GMT: Egyptian Armed Forces spokesman Ahmed Ali said that Egyptian military doctrine does not allow for “military coups” in a statement posted Monday to Facebook.
“Egyptian Armed Forces’ doctrines do not include military coups as a policy. The armed forces already deployed on Egypt’s streets in 1977, 1987 and 2011 and this did not lead to a coup, but rather [led the army] to stand with the will of the great Egyptian people and their desire for reform and change,” the statement said.
19:38 GMT: Egypt’s armed forces have banned the president and his entourage from leaving the country, ITAR-Tass reported.
19:20 GMT: Egypt’s second largest Islamist party, the Nour Party, says it fears the army’s return to public life in a “big way” after the military gave politicians 48 hours to resolve the country’s crisis.
On its Facebook page, the party called for Morsi to take the “number and diversity” of the demonstrators into consideration and “realize the Egyptian people have legitimate demands that must be answered.”
19:04 GMT: The Egyptian Brotherhood’s Twitter says a statement will be issued “shortly.”
18:57 GMT: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party has denied that Khairat al-Shater’s bodyguards were arrested.
18:32 GMT: The headquarters of the moderate Egyptian Islamist Wasat party has been set on fire.
18:30 GMT: President Mohamed Mursi is meeting the head of Egypt’s armed forces along with the prime minister, according to a statement on the president’s official Facebook page.
17:55 GMT: A Morsi aide has called the army’s ultimatum a “military coup,” the Guardian reported.
“Obviously we feel this is a military coup,” the presidential aide said. “But the conviction within the presidency is that [the coup] won’t be able to move forward without American approval.”
17:17 GMT: A house belonging to Shater has reportedly been attacked by “armed thugs.”
16: 20 GMT: Fifteen bodyguards of Brotherhood leader Khairat al-Shater have been arrested by security forces, Reuters reported, citing “security sources.” Shater’s family reportedly phone Al Jazeera to report that his home was under police attack. The sources said security forces were involved in an exchange of fire with the guards after going to arrest them for unlawful possession of firearms.
14:36 GMT: Egypt’s army will not be involved in politics or government, Egypt armed forces chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said in a statement. He wants politicians to agree on an inclusive road map for the country’s future, but says the army will offer its own road map if politicians fail to come to a solution in 48 hours.
Sisi added that the “national security of the state is at risk, due to the developments taking place in the country.”
14:33 GMT: Egypt’s army gives politicians 48 hours to meet the demands of the people.
14:01 GMT:
13:50 GMT: Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil has reportedly rejected the resignation requests from four members of the cabinet: the ministers for tourism, communication and information technology, minister of state for legal and parliamentary affairs and minister of state for environmental affairs.
12:00 GMT: The Muslim Brotherhood is considering action to defend itself, following ransacking of the party’s headquarters by protesters earlier on Monday.
“It’s very dangerous for one entity in society to take up violence as a means of change because it may entice others to do so. The Muslim Brotherhood is a disciplined organization,” said Gehad El-Haddad, spokesman of the Islamist movement, as cited by Reuters. He added the armed men who ransacked the party’s HQ had crossed a red line of violence.
Looters carry furniture and other objects out of the Muslim Brotherhood’s headquarters after it was burned down by protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in Cairo’s Moqattam district July 1, 2013. (Reuters / Amr Dalsh)Haddad said self-defense units might be created to curb violence. Those units are going to be similar to the people’s self-defense committees which were created during the 2011 uprising that overthrew former President Hosni Mubarak.
11:50 GMT: Four Egyptian ministers quit Morsi’s cabinet, according to a government official. The four are Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou, Communication and Information Technology Minister Atef Helmi, Minister of State for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Hatem Bagato and Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Khaled Abdel-Aal. According to the earlier report by the state news agency the ministers were considering resigning in sympathy with the protesters.
11:00 GMT: The Egyptian Health Ministry has announced that 16 people died in Sunday’s anti-government protests in Egypt. Previous estimates put the number of deaths at seven.
08:50 GMT: Egyptian protesters again stormed the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo after a night of massive protests. Witnesses reported ransacking of the HQ, including throwing things out of the windows and leaving with furniture and other items. There were no Brotherhood members inside the building, AFP reported.
Egyptians opposed to President Mohamed Morsi set fire to the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Almoqatam district during clashes in Cairo on June 30, 2013. (AFP Photo)
Egyptians gather outside the burnt headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Moqattam district of Cairo on July 1, 2013 after it was set ablaze by opposition demonstrators overnight. (AFP Photo / Khaled Desouki)05:00 GMT: Early morning at the Tahrir Square is peaceful, though anti-Morsi protesters remain there as the rally described as the biggest in Egypt’s, and possibly world’s, history enters its second day. Dozens of tents are stationed at the Tahrir, with people obviously ready for long-term camping out.
03:00 GMT: An Egyptian military source told Reuters that as many as 14 million people in the nation of 84 million took part in Sunday’s protests across the country. Despite no independent way to verify this estimate, some international media outlets have said that this could have been the largest demonstartion seen in the history of the world.
01:42 GMT: The latest video from RT’s Ruptly video news agency shows crowds of anti-Morsi protesters in Cairo.
00:56 GMT:
00:33 GMT: The death toll in Sunday’s clashes between supporters and opponents of President Morsi across Egypt has risen to seven. Two people have been killed during violence outside the Muslim Brotherhood’s headquarters in Cairo, medical officials say. Five others were shot in a town around the south of Cairo, one in Beni Suef and another in Fayoum and three in Assiut. At least 600 were injued, medical and security sources told Reuters.
Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi throw Molotov cocktails and stones at the national headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo’s Moqattam district June 30, 2013. (Reuters)00:20 GMT: “Tamarod” (Rebellion) movement – the backbone of Egypt’s resistance – has released a statement demanding President Mohammed Morsi step down by Tuesday at 5pm. The movement also called on “police, army and judiciary” to support the people’s will. If Morsi fails to resign by Tuesday, civil disobedience will continue throughout the country.
Monday, July 1
23:39 GMT: Reports emerge that a number of people have been injured at the Muslim Brotherhood’s headquarters in Mokattam, Cairo, Ahram Online reports. The location is seeing ongoing clashes between those inside the building and the attackers. Slingshots and possibly live ammunition are being used. Earlier protesters threw Molotov cocktails.
23:30 GMT: Tens of political parties and groups forming the “30 June Coordinating Committee” released a statement thanking the protesters and calling to end political repression.
Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi shout slogans and set off fireworks during a protest in front of El-Thadiya presidential palace in Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters)“We thank the Egyptian people who have revolted in their millions for a free Egypt, free of fascism, tyranny and injustice,” the statement read, while at the same time denouncing Morsi. “The presidency has released a statement belittling us and our legitimate demands and our million man marches all over Egypt’s squares.”
The committee promised to “stand behind the people and their just demands” and calls for further action by “all democratic means to demonstrate, hold sit-ins and strikes and besiege all state institutions and we demand the trial of all those responsible for torture, killing and announcing edicts inciting against the people and calls for terrorism which was called for by the Muslim Brotherhood.”
22:43 GMT:
22:05 GMT: The leader of Egypt’s Islamist Nour party, Younis Makhyoun, presented himself on Sunday as a mediator with protesters and urged Morsi to make concessions to avert bloodshed on the streets. “There must be concessions, even if they are difficult and bitter, to safeguard the blood of Egyptians,” Makhyoun said. “We are worried about an escalation that will be hard to control, and that guns will have the loudest voice.”
Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi gather near a lit a flare during a protest at Tahrir Square in Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters)21:50 GMT: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi knows he has made mistakes and is working to fix them, his spokesman Omar Amer said on Sunday as massive anti-government demonstartions engulfed the coutnry.
“(Morsi) announced to all of Egypt’s people he made mistakes and that he is in the process of fixing these mistakes,” Amer told a late-night news conference.
“I want to confirm one truth, if there is a total lack of response to this initiative, no listening to it, no interest in it from any side, what do you think the presidency can do?”
“We respect the demands of the streets, and we acknowledge that the political scene in Egypt is continuously changing; however, initiatives are being made constantly and communications are ongoing,” Presidential spokesman Omar Amer said during the second press conference of the day. Amer also called for dialogue, “Those who have demands or visions must sit for dialogue.”
Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi gather during a demonstration at Tahrir Square in Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters)21:40 GMT: There are reports of numerous cases of sexual harassment in Tahrir Square, according to Tahrir Bodyguards, a civil initiative fighting harassment.
21:36 GMT: Watch RT’s Bel Trew with the latest report from Cairo:
21:30 GMT:
21:25 GMT: There are unconfirmed reports that President Mohammed Morsi has left the capital for security reasons.
21:28 GMT: In London hundreds of Egyptians took part in anti-Muslim Brotherhood demonstrations demanding President Mohammed leave and to make way for early presidential elections. “No to remnants of the former regime; No to military rule; No to the Muslim Brotherhood,” they shouted for three-hours outside the Egyptian embassy.
21:17 GMT: Four people have been killed in clashes on Sunday. All four dead were shot in Nile Valley towns south of Cairo, one in Beni Suef and three in Assiut.
22:00 GMT: “It is the biggest protest in Egypt’s history,” a military source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi wave Egyptian flags and shout slogans against him and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, during a protest in front of El-Thadiya presidential palace in Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters)21:30 GMT: During the record breaking rally against the Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi, an Egyptian woman gave birth to a baby girl in Tahrir Square. The child named “Tamarod”, Arabic for rebellion and also an opposition group, which heads a nationwide campaign against Mulslim Brotherhood and calling for Mursi’s removal and early presidential vote.
21:00 GMT: Egyptian Health Minister Mohamed Hamed says the number of injured across the country has increased to 228 from 174. Many of the injuries are related to the heat and crowds rather than clashes, Ahram Online reports. 36 people have been discharged from hospitals.
A protester opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi holds an anti-Morsi poster during a protest in front of the presidential palace in Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters)18:30 GMT: Opponents of President Mohammed Morsi have attempted to storm the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo, the organization’s spokesman has said. Gehad El-Haddad, the spokesman for the Brotherhood, which nominated Morsi as its candidate ahead of last year’s elections, said several dozen protesters shot at the windows with shotguns, and threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at the building, which had been fortified in recent weeks. El-Haddad said the attackers were successfully repelled.
Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi shout slogans against him and Brotherhood members during a protest at Tahrir Square in Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters)17:00 GMT: From early on Sunday, throngs streamed towards Tahrir Square in Cairo – the birthplace of the protests that displaced former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011 – under the rallying cry of “Leave, Morsi! Leave!”. The organizers, an activist movement called Tamarod, or Rebellion, asked demonstrators – who include pro-democratic secularists, religious minorities, and those suffering in Egypt’s stuttering economy – to leave their party allegiances at home, and bring only national flags to the rally.
A general view of protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi waving Egyptian flags and shouting slogans against him and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, during a protest in front of El-Thadiya presidential palace in Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters)
Anti-Morsi protesters (bottom) and residents of an area in Sidi Gaber, clash in a side street off a main street where a massive anti-Morsi protest is taking place, in Alexandria, June 30, 2013. (Reuters)
A large Egyptian flag is seen as protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi shout slogans against him and Brotherhood members during a protest at Tahrir Square in Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters)
Supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi hold copies of the Koran during a protest around the Raba El-Adwyia mosque square in Nasr City, in the suburb of Cairo June 30, 2013. (Reuters)
Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi shout slogans and set off fireworks during a protest in Tahrir square in Cairo June 29, 2013. (Reuters)
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi shout slogans and waves an Egyptian flag during a protest around the Raba El-Adwyia mosque square in Nasr City, in the suburb of Cairo June 29, 2013. (Reuters)
An Egyptian opposition supporter holds a crossed-out picture of President Mohammed Morsi as hundreds gather for a demonstration against Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo’s landmark Tahrir Square on June 29, 2013. (AFP Photo)
President Mohamed Morsi burn the content of a Freedom and Justice Party office in the coastal city of Alexandria on June 28, 2013. (AFP Photo)
A scene of the aftermath of a fire that was set in the headquarters of the Freedom and Justice Party by anti-Morsi protesters during clashes between them and supporters of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in Sedy Gaber in Alexandria, June 28, 2013. (Reuters)
Supporters of Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood gather during a demonstration next to the Rabaa El-Adaweya mosque in the capital Cairo, on June 28, 2013. (AFP Photo)
at least some countries still have bravehearted ppl that will band together in a large enough number to be seen, heard, and noticed worldwide…
and oh yea….banding together for an actual meaningful purpose o_o…not a super bowl rally XD