By Mai Shams El-Din
CAIRO: Four members of the Advisory Council, recently formed by the ruling military council, resigned on Friday in protest of the crackdown by army forces on a sit-in outside the Cabinet headquarters in downtown Cairo.
A violent crackdown initially on protesters camped outside the Cabinet headquarters escalated throughout the day, leaving at least two dead and more than 170 injured, according to the health ministry.
Political forces slammed the excessive use of violence on unarmed protesters, as fighting, which began early on Friday, continued well into the evening.
Member of the political bureau of the Free Egyptians Party, Ahmed Khairy, was the first to present his resignation, followed by political analyst Moataz Abdel Fattah, Cairo University political science professor Nevine Mosaad, and IT entrepreneur Ziad Aly.
“I declare my resignation from the Advisory Council,” Khairy said. “I apologize to everyone who [criticized] me for joining — you were right,” he wrote on his Twitter account.
Abdel Fattah said on his official Facebook page that he expects more resignations from the Council against the unjustified use of violence by military police against peaceful protesters.
Protesters have been camped outside the Cabinet headquarters, on the same street, since Nov. 25. Men in civilian clothes and army uniforms were seen throwing rocks and furniture at protesters from the rooftops of the parliament buildings early in the day. Later on, rock throwing and an exchange of Molotov cocktails ensued as clashes continued into the night.
“If this is intended and deliberate, then I refuse to be part of this conspiracy; and if it is not deliberate, then we are faced with weak state institutions that are unwilling to manage crises, which is something I cannot fix no matter what I do,” Abdel Fattah said.
Mosaad, who is in Beirut, confirmed her resignation to Daily News Egypt via a text message.
“I resigned, but Dr. Mansour [Hassan, head of the Council] prefers to meet first with members tonight [Friday],” she said. “There may be a collective resignation,” she added.
Meanwhile, political powers and presidential hopefuls condemned the violent crackdown on protesters, urging the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to halt the violence and investigate the escalation of events.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) condemned in a statement Friday the violence against peaceful protesters, urging all those involved to resume their national duties to stop the violence.
“We urge SCAF to immediately stop the violence, especially the plain-clothed individuals who are throwing stones from atop buildings, investigate the matter and present it to public opinion,” the statement said.
The Free Egyptians Party also condemned the violence in a statement, urging officials to respect freedom of speech, one of the main demands of the Jan. 25 uprising which ousted Hosni Mubarak and brought the military council as the de facto ruling power.
“The SCAF has to protect the revolution instead of escalating violence and cracking down on freedoms,” member of the party’s presidential council Ahmed Said said.
Member of the party’s political bureau and MP Mohamed Abou Hamed said in the statement that the first thing he will do in parliament is to question the prime minister, minister of interior and the military police over the excessive use of violence.
Presidential hopefuls Hamdeen Sabahi, Mohamed ElBaradei and Abdel-Moneim Abol Fotoh condemned the actions, urging SCAF to immediately halt the violence.
“Whoever is involved in these events should immediately resign,” Sabahi said, adding that it is inappropriate to use army officers to attack peaceful protesters after their honored history of protecting the people.
“It is our right to know who is responsible for these attacks and to know who is really in charge of this country and who took the decision to disperse the sit-in in this way,” he added.
ElBaradei said nothing justifies the excessive use of violence against protesters.
“Even if sit-in illegal [sic], use of brutal force not the answer and should be condemned. Gross mismanagement and trampling of human rights continue,” he wrote on his Twitter account.
“If the prime minister has all the executive powers of the president including security, what is the authority of military police has to intervene? Where is credibility and who is responsible?” ElBaradei said.
He questioned whether the Advisory Council advised SCAF to disperse the sit-in, questioning whether the Council is merely cosmetic.
Abol Fotoh strongly condemned the crackdown. “SCAF should be held accountable for what happened with the peaceful protesters. What is the role of the prime minister in the light of the powers given to him?” he said.
Newly elected members of parliament including Zeyad El-Elaimy and Amr Hamzawy filed an official report against the military council, the military police and the central command for the use of violence against protesters. Veteran activists and politicians George Ishaq, Abdel Gelil Mostafa and Hamdy Qandil reportedly filed similar reports. They demanded an immediate stop to the violence and an investigation by the public prosecution.
Soldiers beat-up a protester near Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Dec. 16. (AFP Photo/Mohammed Abed)
Protesters against military rule throw stones towards supporters of soldiers during clashes in Cairo on Dec. 16. (AFP Photo/Mohammed Abed)
