Several injuries took place on Saturday night during the clashes between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and anti-Brotherhood protesters in front of the Brotherhood offices in Damanhour, Beheira.
Clashes emerged as some protesters tried to break into the Muslim Brotherhood offices in Midan Al-Saa’a, while supporters of the Brotherhood tried to prevent them.
Security forces moved to the location and fired tear gas at protesters and Brotherhood supporters who fled to the streets, where the clashes continued.
Al-Shorouk reported that security forces arrested 12 people. Protesters threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at security forces and burnt car tires during the clashes. The report added people burnt down wooden parts of the railway system in Damanhour, causing the breakdown of trains’ movement for few hours.
Raheb El-Sayed, the head of reception at Damanhour public hospital, confirmed that 18 injured were referred to the hospital on Saturday night. She denied knowledge of their types of injuries.
MENA reported that security forces mistakenly fired a tear gas bomb on an ambulance car during the clashes. The driver of the car was transferred to hospital after experiencing suffocation.
Al-Dostour party issued a statement on Saturday condemning violence in the clashes. The statement criticised the new constitutional declaration issued by President Mohamed Morsy, and blamed this declaration for the protests. The statement called on security forces to protect citizens and properties with no excessive use of force.
The Muslim Brotherhood also issued a statement, mentioning that 14 of its members were injured protecting Brotherhood headquarters. The statement added most of the injuries were minor, with one person suffering from concussion, another a dislocated shoulder, and another in a critical condition. The statement confirmed the Brotherhood plans to take legal action against their attackers.
Osama Soliman, secretary general of Freedom and Justice party in Beheira, asserted that those who attacked the Brotherhood offices were not protesters refusing the constitutional declaration, but thugs and old regime remnants. “I am 100 per cent sure that Egypt’s various political groups would never commit such shameful actions. Those are only thugs willing to spread chaos.”
Soliman said that police arrested 12 people during the clashes. He added that they were acquitted from the prosecution office. “They got acquitted even though they were caught with weapons and Molotov cocktails,” he said.
Beheira security directorate and prosecution office couldn’t be reached for comment on Soliman’s claims.
Offices of the Muslim Brotherhood around Egypt were subject to several attacks as protests were held nationwide, following the issuance of a new constitutional declaration by Morsy, causing several casualties.
Legal experts, judges and secular political forces rejected the declaration, saying it hinders the independence of judiciary.
