Morsi backers defy sit-in warnings

Supporters of deposed president Mohammed Morsi remained defiant as Egypt’s military-backed government offered protection to those who ended their two sit-ins – widely seen as a first step towards dispersing the vigils on opposite sides of Cairo.

The protesters responded to the televised offer yesterday with: “Over our dead bodies!”

The stand-off underscored the political crisis since the armed forces toppled Egypt’s first democratically elected leader on July 3: thousands in the streets demanding Mr Morsi’s reinstatement, a government unable to exert its authority, and recurrent violence that has killed more than 260 people.

Rights groups, activists and politicians from rival camps, fearful of more bloodshed, tried to ward off any use of force, including a suggestion of putting a human chain around the protest sites.

International pressure grew for the interim government to release Mr Morsi and create a process that includes his Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest political faction, which refuses to deal with the new authorities.

Despite a government warning that it would disperse the vigils, the Brotherhood and its supporters announced plans to organise new mass marches today, dubbed “Egypt Against the Coup”.

Organisers of the sit-ins outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya Mosque in eastern Cairo and a smaller one near Cairo University’s main campus in Giza say the protests are signs of the enduring support for the once-dominant Muslim Brotherhood.

But mass rallies called by the military leader, General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, on July 26 showed that a large segment of Egypt’s population backs the armed forces’ actions against Mr Morsi, who was overthrown following demonstrations by millions demanding that he step down after a year in office.

US Secretary of State John Kerry picked up that theme, telling Geo TV in Pakistan that the military was “restoring democracy”. He added that millions of people had asked the army to intervene because they were afraid Egypt would descend into violence.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke to interim vice president Mohammed ElBaradei, calling for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. “I also called for the release of all political detainees, including Dr Morsi, unless there are criminal charges to be made against them,” he said.

There was no sign of a break in the stalemate.

Security officials, pro-military media and some residents near the sit-in sites increasingly view the encampments as a menace, with authorities accusing protesters of stockpiling arms, torturing and killing suspected intruders, and scuffling with locals who voice complaints.

While the protesters insist their gatherings are peaceful, the sit-ins have taken on increasingly fatalistic religious overtones and many of Mr Morsi’s supporters have expressed readiness to die for their cause – defending him and Islam.

The only sign of security activity before sunset yesterday was an army helicopter that flew low over the protesters.

“The Interior Ministry ... calls on those in the squares of Rabaah al-Adawiya and Nahda to listen to the sound of reason, side with the national interest, and quickly leave,” ministry spokesman Hany Abdel-Latif said in a televised address.

“Whoever responds to this call will have safe passage and protection.”

The declaration followed a cabinet decision on Wednesday to order the Interior Ministry, which controls the police, to disperse the sit-ins, arguing they posed a threat to national security and terrorised citizens.

But the protesters said they would not back down from their continued opposition to the military coup. A statement said they would “continue in spite of threats, and will not be made to back down from their right to peaceful protests and sit-ins, regardless of the strength of their opposition”.

From the podium outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya Mosque, one speaker shouted: “Did you see that the criminal army wants to break up the sit-in? Over our dead bodies!” The crowd shouted in agreement: “The coup is terrorism!”

The demonstrators also chanted “Execute el-Sissi!” and loudspeakers blared songs supporting Mr Morsi.

The protesters fortified the site, piling up sandbags at its six entrances and adding new guards who stood on alert with their helmets and sticks, sometimes climbing over the gates to check for movement. At one entrance, a second wall of concrete blocks, sandbags and tyres was erected.

Protester Magdi Shalash, a university professor, dismissed the Interior Ministry warning, calling it an attempt to scare away supporters. “This warning is like nothing. It is like air. We don’t even listen to it,” he said . “We will only leave as dead bodies.”

Rally speakers and leading members of the Brotherhood urged more people to join the protest. In a video posted on the Brotherhood’s Facebook page, Mohammed El-Beltagi urged those at home to “join us and get the honour of martyrdom”.

A military spokesman said its troops were not taking part in the moves against the sit-ins.

Egyptian police have a track record of deadly crackdowns on street protests, and Wednesday’s cabinet move effectively gave security forces the mandate to act as they see fit.

The Interior Ministry had said earlier it would not clamp down on the protesters but will take gradual measures, including warnings and the use of water cannons and tear gas to minimise casualties.

The US embassy said it would be closed on Sunday – a normal working day. The US State Department said it was shutting its embassies and consulates throughout the Muslim world on that day after receiving an unspecified threat.

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf cited information indicating a threat to US facilities overseas and said some diplomatic offices might stay closed for more than a day.