Deadly clashes in Egypt on second anniversary of revolt
Update to previous story
By Nehal El-Sherif, Ramadan Al-Fatash
Cairo (dpa) - Nine people were killed Friday in clashes between police and anti-government protesters in the Egyptian city of Suez, said medical sources, as thousands took to the streets to mark the second anniversary of the revolt that toppled Hosny Mubarak.
However, the Health Ministry put the death figure at four, saying that 379 were injured in violence across the country.
Responding to a call by the opposition, thousands of Egyptians held mass rallies in Cairo's Tahrir Square and other major squares to protest what they say are attempts by President Mohammed Morsi and his group, the Muslim Brotherhood, to tighten their grip on power.
Protesters attacked the Brotherhood's offices in some cities, while others were engaged in fierce clashes with police outside the state TV building near Tahrir.
Police said they had foiled attempts by protesters to storm security buildings and local government offices in several areas across the nation.
Security forces used tear gas to disperse Morsi's opponents after they broke through barbed wire barriers and hurled petrol bombs inside the presidential palace in eastern Cairo, reported the state-run newspaper al-Ahram online.
Protesters, meanwhile, blocked main roads in Cairo and disrupted the city's metro service, said witnesses.
Clashes also took place in the northern city of Alexandria after protesters surrounded and threw rocks at a local council building.
Police responded by firing shots in the air and using tear gas.
A group of protesters, identifying themselves as the Black Bloc, stormed a courthouse and blocked roads and tramways in the centre of Alexandria, Egypt's second-biggest city.
The violence comes on the eve of an expected court ruling on Egypt's worst soccer tragedy.
Militant soccer fans, known as the ultras, this week warned against "chaos" if no justice is achieved for 74 people who were killed in February last year in rioting following a match in the coastal Port Said.
The National Salvation Front, the main opposition bloc, blamed Morsi and the Brotherhood for the street turmoil and called for suspending a recently approved constitution drafted by Islamists.
The opposition says the charter could undermine fundamental rights and sideline minorities.
Thousands of Morsi's opponents converged on Tahrir Square - the epicentre of the 18-day revolt that ousted Mubarak in 2011.
They carried the Egyptian flag, pictures of people killed in previous protests and banners reading: "Down with the Brotherhood's constitution" and "The people want to topple the regime."
"I am taking part in marches today to reject the distorted constitution, Brotherhoodization of the state, a pounce on the rule of law and because the president and his government ignored the demands of social justice," liberal activist and former parliamentarian Amr Hamzawy said.
Morsi's opponents also staged mass demonstrations in other cities, which the opposition said were reminiscent of the protests against Mubarak two years ago.
Morsi's Islamist allies kept a low profile, saying they wanted to avoid clashes with his opponents.
Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president, faces the challenge of trying to revive the economy and ease tensions between Islamists and the secular-minded opposition.
On Thursday, Morsi blamed remnants of the Mubarak regime for trying to undermine stability.
"I hope all groups will remain peaceful during celebrations," Morsi said. "A structural reform is taking place in the state's institutions to fulfil the revolution's demands."
By Nehal El-Sherif, Ramadan Al-Fatash
Cairo (dpa) - Nine people were killed Friday in clashes between police and anti-government protesters in the Egyptian city of Suez, said medical sources, as thousands took to the streets to mark the second anniversary of the revolt that toppled Hosny Mubarak.
However, the Health Ministry put the death figure at four, saying that 379 were injured in violence across the country.
Responding to a call by the opposition, thousands of Egyptians held mass rallies in Cairo's Tahrir Square and other major squares to protest what they say are attempts by President Mohammed Morsi and his group, the Muslim Brotherhood, to tighten their grip on power.
Protesters attacked the Brotherhood's offices in some cities, while others were engaged in fierce clashes with police outside the state TV building near Tahrir.
Police said they had foiled attempts by protesters to storm security buildings and local government offices in several areas across the nation.
Security forces used tear gas to disperse Morsi's opponents after they broke through barbed wire barriers and hurled petrol bombs inside the presidential palace in eastern Cairo, reported the state-run newspaper al-Ahram online.
Protesters, meanwhile, blocked main roads in Cairo and disrupted the city's metro service, said witnesses.
Clashes also took place in the northern city of Alexandria after protesters surrounded and threw rocks at a local council building.
Police responded by firing shots in the air and using tear gas.
A group of protesters, identifying themselves as the Black Bloc, stormed a courthouse and blocked roads and tramways in the centre of Alexandria, Egypt's second-biggest city.
The violence comes on the eve of an expected court ruling on Egypt's worst soccer tragedy.
Militant soccer fans, known as the ultras, this week warned against "chaos" if no justice is achieved for 74 people who were killed in February last year in rioting following a match in the coastal Port Said.
The National Salvation Front, the main opposition bloc, blamed Morsi and the Brotherhood for the street turmoil and called for suspending a recently approved constitution drafted by Islamists.
The opposition says the charter could undermine fundamental rights and sideline minorities.
Thousands of Morsi's opponents converged on Tahrir Square - the epicentre of the 18-day revolt that ousted Mubarak in 2011.
They carried the Egyptian flag, pictures of people killed in previous protests and banners reading: "Down with the Brotherhood's constitution" and "The people want to topple the regime."
"I am taking part in marches today to reject the distorted constitution, Brotherhoodization of the state, a pounce on the rule of law and because the president and his government ignored the demands of social justice," liberal activist and former parliamentarian Amr Hamzawy said.
Morsi's opponents also staged mass demonstrations in other cities, which the opposition said were reminiscent of the protests against Mubarak two years ago.
Morsi's Islamist allies kept a low profile, saying they wanted to avoid clashes with his opponents.
Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president, faces the challenge of trying to revive the economy and ease tensions between Islamists and the secular-minded opposition.
On Thursday, Morsi blamed remnants of the Mubarak regime for trying to undermine stability.
"I hope all groups will remain peaceful during celebrations," Morsi said. "A structural reform is taking place in the state's institutions to fulfil the revolution's demands."
