Egypt under curfew as death toll climbs

Egyptian authorities move in on The Muslim Brotherhood Islamists

15 August 2013

The death toll of the brutal military crackdown in Egypt climbed to 525 today, amid calls for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

The Egyptian health ministry confirmed the number of deaths and said 3,572 people were injured as security forces cleared protesters supporting ousted president Mohammed Morsi.

The interior ministry said 43 police officers died when clashes broke out after security forces stormed two camps in Cairo, yesterday, firing on demonstrators — including women and children.

The government called for calm today after imposing a month-long state of emergency and a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Cairo and 10 other provinces.

But the Muslim Brotherhood, which wants Mr Morsi reinstated, said it planned to march in Cairo this afternoon to protest against the deaths.

Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad said: “We will always be non-violent and peaceful. We remain strong, defiant and resolved. We will push until we bring down this military coup.”

Turkish prime minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan, one of the Egyptian military’s fiercest critics, called for an emergency meeting of the UN. He said: “Those who remain silent in the face of this massacre are as guilty as those who carried it out. The UN Security Council must convene quickly.”

Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the use of force and called on Egypt’s leaders to take steps towards reconciliation.

Horrific pictures of dead bodies and injuries suffered by protesters were beamed around the world yesterday. Witnesses said security forces drove bulldozers and armoured vehicles through barricades before firing on protesters.

Snipers were said to have picked off targets from rooftops. Among those killed were Mick Deane, 61, a Sky News cameraman.

In London today, an MP accused the West of playing “into the hands of the Islamists” by failing to condemn the ousting of Mr Morsi. Clacton’s Tory MP Douglas Carswell said: “If you read some of the Muslim Brotherhood’s founding literature … it maintains that democracy is a sham and the ills of the Arab world are caused by a tiny elite colluding with Western powers.” Speaking on BBC radio, he added: “[Mr Morsi] is the duly elected leader of Egypt. If we were to replace the words ‘Mohammed Morsi’ with ‘Aung San Suu Kyi’ of course we would be speaking up.”

During yesterday’s clashes, government forces also seized Muslim Brotherhood leaders Mohammed El-Beltagy and Essam El-Erian, along with hard-line cleric Safwat Hegazy.

Ashraf El Kholy, the Egyptian ambassador to Britain, expressed regret at the deaths but said police gave ample opportunity for protesters to leave.

He also accused government opponents of firing on security services, using torture and of using children as human shields. He said: “They have to recognise that the political process is much better to express their deep anger.

“And through the political process they can be part of political life in Egypt. This is the advice and the wise decision they have to take.”

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Egypt under curfew as death toll climbs

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