Egyptian President Morsi Imposes Curfew To Stabilize Violence
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Morsi's curfew takes effect in the cities of Port Said, Suez and Ismalia. (Creative Commons)
Morsi declared emergency in the cities of Port Said, Suez and Ismalia, where a nightly curfew would be imposed. On Saturday, gunshots killed many of the 33 people who died Saturday while protesting a court ruling that sentenced 21 people to death for their role in a deadly soccer riot last year.
About 49 people have been killed since Thursday as anti-government protests continue to spread throughout the country.
Morsi's opponents accuse his Islamist Muslim Brotherhood of not carrying out the promise of representing all Egyptians. More from Reuters:
Protesters say Mursi has betrayed the revolution's aims.
"None of the revolution's goals have been realized," said Mohamed Sami, a protester in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the cauldron of the uprising that erupted on January 25, 2011 and toppled Mubarak 18 days later.
"Prices are going up. The blood of Egyptians is being spilt in the streets because of neglect and corruption and because the Muslim Brotherhood is ruling Egypt for their own interests."
Roads in and out of Port Said were closed Sunday as authorities tried to stabilize the region after Saturday's violence, CNN reported. Morsi called his opponents "criminals" who will face "justice as soon as possible."
More from CNN:
Many of those who hit the streets on Friday did so to rail against Morsy, a former Muslim Brotherhood leader. At one point, Morsy declared himself immune from judicial oversight and pushed through a new constitution, actions his critics say were reminiscent of Mubarak.
On Sunday, the president said some demonstrators' violent "behavior does not have anything to do with the Egyptian revolution. ... In fact, it is against the revolution."
At the same time, he acknowledged the legitimate dissent in Egypt, as well as its impact on the country, and said "dialogue (is) the only way to (bring about) stability and security."
In the capital of Cairo, police closed all main roads and highways near Tahrir Square, while the U.S. Embassy closed its offices on Sunday. The British Embassy was also closed for the day.
Read more Neon Tommy stories on Egypt here.
