By Jake Lippincott
Supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi clashed with police last Friday in cities across Egypt. In the Cairo suburb of Giza, police, joined by plainclothes government supporters, fired tear gas and shotguns at protesters.According to state-owned Al-Ahram, one 18 year-old was killed in the Giza clashes.
Similar clashes took place in cities across the Nile delta. In the Mediterranean city of Alexandria protests in many neighbourhoods were dispersed by police firing tear gas. There are unconfirmed reports that one person died in the Alexandria clashes.
While the Ministry of Health has yet to release official casualty figures, according to the interior ministry, 76 “rioters” were arrested and 5 police were injured.
Clashes like these have become a regular occurrence since Morsi was ousted in July 2013. The protests, organised by the Muslim Brotherhood led Anti-Coup Alliance, aim to “restore legitimacy” by reinstating Morsi’s government. Wafaa Al Banna, a Muslim Brotherhood spokeswoman said the crackdown by the “coupist” interim government “didn’t work before [and] it won’t work again; the streets are gaining momentum.”
