By Mariam Iskander
Unidentified protestors broke into the Fayoum governorate offices on Monday night following an anti-Muslim Brotherhood presentation, according to a political activist in Fayoum.
According to activist Hoda Abbas, members of the opposition in Fayoum had organized a presentation, titled Ikhwan Kazebon (The Muslim Brotherhood Are Liars), in response to Brotherhood claims that their Sunday demonstrations were of a peaceful nature. Following the presentation, the opposition held a march towards the governorate building condemning the appointment of the new governor, Gaber Abdel Salam, a Muslim Brotherhood member.
A number of unidentified demonstrators then broke through the building’s gate and vandalised the building, Abbas said.
President Mohamed Morsi appointed 17 new governors on Sunday, seven of whom are Muslim Brotherhood members, a move which sparked a number of opposition demonstrations across multiple governorates.
Clashes erupted on Sunday between demonstrating members of the Muslim Brotherhood and local residents, leading to a number of injuries and souring relations between locals, the government and its supporters.
Brotherhood spokesperson Yasser Mehrez said on Monday the organisation had filed reports against six individuals whom they accused of attacking their members during Sunday’s clashes.
The Brotherhood further issued a statement on Monday on their official Facebook page regarding the clashes, blaming a prominent member of the now-dissolved National Democratic Party, in cooperation with National Salvation Front (NSF) youth and the Tamarod campaign, for what they described as an “armed attack on the peaceful demonstrations held by the president’s supporters.”
“Knives and firearms were used to attack the peaceful demonstrators,” the statement read. It also expressed the Brotherhood’s “amazement” at the “passiveness” of police forces, which they said made no attempt to intervene. The Brotherhood went on to claim that the police were trying to instigate further trouble and bloodshed.
