President Mohamed Morsy said that “political forces that may have contributed to incitement bear full political responsibility” pending an investigation examining the clashes that took place at the palace on Friday night.
Morsy, along with Prime Minister Hisham Qandil, called on all political forces to condemn the violence and called on those in front of the palace to leave the vicinity immediately.
Clashes erupted between demonstrators and police in front of the palace on Friday night, with protesters throwing Molotov cocktails over the palace walls and police responding with tear gas and water cannons.
The National Salvation Front (NSF) denied any responsibility for violence that occurred at the palace. It called on the Interior Ministry to exercise restraint to avoid further injuries among demonstrators. The group blamed the president and the Muslim Brotherhood for sparking anger on the street that led to high tensions and called on the president to realise the opposition’s demands.
The Ministry of Interior insisted it was fulfilling its role in responding to violence from protesters and said it would continue to work to contain the situation.
The clashes continued late into Friday night with Central Security Forces (CSF) continuing its barrage of tear gas and birdshot on Marghany Street.
