In Amazing Pics and Video Civilians Join Forces with The Police Against the Brotherhood in Egypt

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• Screen capture fom video below.
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• In the middle of the day on Sunday, deadly clashes broke out in Cairo between supporters and opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood. From his windowsill, our Observer filmed civilians abusing an alleged supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood as police officers looked on. This evidence of collusion between civilians and the authorities shocked our Observer.
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• The clashes broke out during celebrations marking Egypt’s victory against Israel in the 1973 war, during which Egypt took back the Sinai Peninsula. On Saturday evening, demonstrators gathered on Tahrir Square to express their support for the Egyptian government, especially for the Chief of Staff, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi , Egypt’s new strongman since the army takeover. But on Sunday, while Muslim Brotherhood supporters were approaching the square to stage a counter-protest, fighting broke out. Each side is blaming the other for this day of violence during which 51 civilians were killed.
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• The Egyptian government had warned the Muslim Brotherhood, a political organisation that is now illegal in Egypt, against staging any anti-army protests during the anniversary celebrations.
• “The police has picked a side in these conflicts, namely the most power ful side”
• Wael Eskandar is a journalist and blogger in Cairo.
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• My sister and I filmed this footage from an apartment above Tahrir Street [also known as Behouth Street]. Before we started filming, we saw thousands of Muslim Brotherhood protesters walking down the avenue below us toward Tahrir Square. They were coming from Sudan Street. Just as they were starting to disappear from our view, we heard gunshots, and the pro-Muslim Brotherhood group began to backtrack. They destroyed everything on their way.
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• We saw them ransack a bank, tear down signs, and trash building entrances. A doorman who works in this avenue told me shortly afterwards that one of the men had fired a shot into his building’s lobby. After this, we saw an anti-Muslim Brotherhood group come back. They had just caught a man, most likely a Muslim Brotherhood supporter. You can see very clearly on our footage that they are holding him down and beating him repeatedly [the man is shirtless, and is dragged by the hair. At the 1’00 minute mark, police vehicles drive by but do not intervene].
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• At this point, two armoured police vehicles make their way through the crowd. They seem to be unfazed by the fact that protesters are beating up a man. After speaking briefly with men in the crowd, the policemen in the armoured vehicle decide to keep driving. I could not hear what they said. And I don’t know what happened to this man afterwards.
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• “This only strengthens the Muslim Brotherhood’s propaganda”
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• This neighbourhood is very close to Bein el-Sarayat, an area known for being particularly hostile to the Muslim Brotherhood, in particular since Brotherhood members killed several local residents last July. The crowd most likely contained many residents of that neighbourhood looking for payback. But there were also probably plainclothes policemen too. I don’t have any proof of this, but it’s a very common strategy lately [AFP journalists noted the presence of armed plainclothes policemen chasing Muslim Brotherhood supporters alongside civilians last Sunday].
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• This pattern is not new. The police fought alongside the Muslim Brotherhood against opponents in the past. The police are choosing a side in these conflicts, namely the side of power. It’s strategic; they choose to support those who will ensure the survival of the police corps. But it’s completely unprofessional.
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• I am strongly opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood, but events such as these are deplorable. Not only does it violate the basic rights of all Egyptians, it also weakens the democratic character of our movement and strengthens the Muslim Brotherhood’s propaganda.

CONTRIBUTOR

Wael Eskandar