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At least 30 people have died in today’s Port Said clashes sparked by the sentencing to death of 21 local people over football riots in Egypt.
Supporters of the defendants tried to storm the prison holding them and attacked police stations.
The 21 were sentenced over riots which killed 74 people after a football game at Port Said stadium last February.
Saturday’s violence follows a day of unrest on the second anniversary of the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt’s national defence council, which is headed by President Mohamed Morsi, has condemned the violence and called for dialogue, saying it would consider declaring a curfew in affected areas if necessary.
Thousands of people had taken to the streets on Friday to voice their opposition to the Islamist president, accusing him of betraying the revolution.
At least seven people were killed and more than 450 wounded in unrest across Egypt.
All 21 defendants sentenced to death on Saturday were fans of Port Said club al-Masry. When the verdicts were announced by a judge in the Cairo court, relatives of victims cheered.
However, the ruling caused supporters of the defendants to go on a rampage in Port Said. Two police officers were shot dead outside the city’s prison and the state security building was reportedly set on fire.
At least another 28 people were killed and about 300 were wounded in further clashes, officials said.
Two footballers were among those killed in Saturday’s clashes, state news agency Mena reported. They are former al-Masry goalkeeper Tamir al-Fahlah and Muhammad al-Dadhawi, a player for a lower-division Port Said club.
At least 30 people have died in today’s Port Said clashes sparked by the sentencing to death of 21 local people over football riots in Egypt
The violence continued despite the deployment of army units on the city’s streets.
Meanwhile, in Cairo, clashes also broke out between police and protesters near Egypt’s Interior Ministry. Police fired tear gas to try to prevent them from reaching the building.
Last year’s football riots led to the suspension of the league.
They began minutes after the game, when al-Masry fans invaded the pitch, hurling stones and fireworks at visiting supporters from Cairo club al-Ahly.
A section of al-Ahly supporters, known as the “ultras”, played a prominent role in the protests against ex-President Mubarak.
Some accused supporters of the toppled leader of instigating the Port Said violence. They also accused police of doing little to prevent the violence.
Seventy-three people, including nine policemen, were tried over the stadium clashes. None are al-Ahly fans.
The judge said he would announce verdicts for the remaining defendants on March 9.
Friday saw a big anti-government rally in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, with opposition supporters clashing with police.
There was also unrest in 12 out of 27 of Egypt’s provinces. At least six of the deaths occurred in Suez.
In Ismailia, protesters set fire to the headquarters of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. The city’s governorate headquarters was later also stormed.
The liberal opposition accuses Mohamed Morsi of being autocratic and driving through a new constitution that does not protect adequately freedom of expression or religion.
The government is also being blamed for a deepening economic crisis.
One of the demonstrators at Cairo’s Tahrir Square, Momen Asour, said he had come to demand an end to President Mohamed Morsi’s rule.
“We have not seen anything. Neither freedom, nor social justice, or any solution to unemployment, or any investment,” he said.
“On the contrary, the economy has collapsed.”
President Mohamed Morsi and his allies have dismissed the claim, saying they have a democratic mandate following recent elections. The constitution, drawn up by an Islamist-dominated body, was approved by a referendum last month.
Port Said 2012 football deaths
- 74 people killed in Port Said stadium on February 2, 2012
- Clashes broke out between rival fans of clubs al-Masry and al-Ahly
- Fans flooded on to pitch attacking Ahly players and fans as match ended
- Most died of concussion, cuts and suffocation
- The largest death toll in Egypt’s football history
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An Egyptian court has sentenced to death 21 defendants over clashes between rival football fans at Port Said stadium in which 74 people were killed last February.
The riots began after a league game at Port Said stadium between local side al-Masry and Cairo club al-Ahly.
The violence – Egypt’s worst football disaster – sparked riots in Cairo during which a further 16 people died.
The sentences came after a day of clashes between security forces and supporters of the secular opposition.
An Egyptian court has sentenced to death 21 defendants over clashes between rival football fans at Port Said stadium in which 74 people were killed last February
Hundreds of thousands took to the streets across Egypt to mark the second anniversary of the revolution that ousted ex-President Hosni Mubarak and voice their opposition to Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.
At least seven people were killed in Friday’s unrest.
Last year’s football riots led to the suspension of the league.
It began when al-Masry fans invaded the pitch, hurling stones and fireworks at the visitors.
At the time some fans – who said security forces appeared to do little to prevent the clashes – accused supporters of toppled President Hosni Mubarak of instigating the incident.
Seventy-three people, including policemen, were tried.
The judge said he would announce the verdict for the remaining 52 defendants on March 9.
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Two people have been shot dead by police and more than 400 injured in protests across Egypt sparked by the deaths of 74 people after a football match.
The two killed were shot by police trying to disperse angry crowds in the city of Suez, medical officials said.
In the capital Cairo, thousands of protesters remained on the streets following a day of clashes with police.
Thousands marched to the interior ministry, where security forces fired tear gas to keep them back.
Earlier, the Egyptian prime minister announced the sackings of several senior officials.
Funerals of some of the 74 victims took place in Port Said, where the football match had taken place on Wednesday.
The deaths came when fans invaded the pitch after a fixture between top Cairo club al-Ahly and the Port Said side al-Masry.
As night fell in Cairo, several thousand demonstrators remained in the streets around the interior ministry, witnesses said.
Two people have been shot dead by police and more than 400 injured in protests across Egypt sparked by the deaths of 74 people after a football match
In Suez, health official Mohammed Lasheen said two people had been shot dead early on Friday.
A witness quoted by Reuters said: “Protesters are trying to break into the Suez police station and police are now firing live ammunition.”
Throughout Thursday, al-Ahly supporters gathered outside the club’s stadium in Cairo. A series of protest marches moved towards Tahrir Square, and then on to the ministry of interior.
Some chanted slogans against Egypt’s military rulers, while others threw stones.
“Our army must choose between the military council and the revolutionaries,” they chanted.
Police fired tear gas to keep the thousands of protesters away from the ministry, which is protected by concrete barricades.
Motorcycles ferried the injured from the scene as ambulances were often unable to get through.
At one point, ambulances intervened to rescue riot police whose vehicle mistakenly turned into a street full of protesters, Reuters reported.
Egyptian state news agency Mena quoted a health ministry official as saying 388 protesters were injured. Most of them were suffering from tear gas inhalation as well as bruises and broken bones from rocks.
A section of Al-Ahly supporters known as the “ultras” played a prominent role in last year’s street protests which led to the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.
The ultras believe they were targeted for their support for the revolution over the past year.
They accuse the police of deliberately allowing al-Masry fans to attack them.
“It’s like war, you can’t believe it. What happened yesterday [Wednesday] was war, it’s not football. To kill without any feeling… is not normal,” said former al-Ahly player Hani Seddik.
There were also protests in Port Said, Associated Press news agency reported.
Earlier on Thursday, parliament met in emergency session, beginning with a minute’s silence.
Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri told MPs the head of Egypt’s football association had been sacked and the board dissolved, with its members referred to prosecutors for questioning.
Port Said’s director of security and the head of investigations were suspended and are now in custody, Kamal al-Ganzouri said.
The government has come under renewed attack over its handling, both of the football game, and of the way it is handling the transition to democracy, our correspondent says.
The president of al-Ahly, Hamid Hamdy, said his club would not take part in league games.
“I hope that the world understands the position of al-Ahly club, that we are going through a very difficult time as a result of all of those martyrs that we lost yesterday,” he told a news conference.
“People should feel that there is a tragedy and a disaster which has happened in Egyptian sports, and for al-Ahly.”
Police in Egypt have been keeping a much lower profile since last year’s popular protests.
The Muslim Brotherhood – which has emerged as Egypt’s biggest party in recent elections – blamed ex-President Mubarak’s supporters for the violence.
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Egyptian authorities declared three days of national mourning after at least 74 people died in clashes between rival football fans in the city of Port Said.
Hundreds more were injured as fans invaded the pitch after a match between top-tier clubs al-Masry and al-Ahly.
Emergency meetings of the cabinet and parliament have been called.
Protest marches are being planned for Thursday against the police’s inability to contain the violence.
Funerals are expected to be held after noon prayers in Port Said.
All Egyptian premier-league matches have been postponed indefinitely.
One al-Ahly fan said that fans will march from the club headquarters in Cairo to the Interior Ministry.
“People are angry at the regime more than anything else… People are really angry, you could see the rage in their eyes,” Mohammed Abdel Hamid said.
Egyptian authorities declared three days of national mourning after at least 74 people died in clashes between rival football fans in the city of Port Said
Hundreds gathered at Cairo’s main railway station to receive the injured and the first bodies arriving from Port Said, with some chanting slogans against military rule.
“Everyone was beating us. They were beating us from inside and outside, with fireworks, stones, metal bars, and some had knives, I swear,” one fan told a private TV station.
Army units were deployed in Port Said and joined police patrols around morgues and hospitals, but most streets had no police presence.
The army has set up checkpoints at entrances to the city.
Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of Egypt’s ruling army council, went to an airbase near Cairo to meet al-Ahly players who were flown back from Port Said on a military aircraft.
“This will not bring Egypt down… These incidents happen anywhere in the world. We will not let those behind it go,” he said, according to the Associated Press news agency.
It is the biggest disaster in the country’s football history, said the Egyptian deputy health minister.
“This is unfortunate and deeply saddening,” Hesham Sheiha told state television, adding that many people died in a stampede as people tried to leave the stadium.
Some of the dead were security officers, AP quoted a morgue official as saying.
It appears some fans had taken knives into the stadium.
The lack of the usual level of security in the stadium might have contributed to the clashes.
Police in Egypt have been keeping a much lower profile since last year’s popular protests that ousted President Hosni Mubarak from power.
Egyptian fans are notoriously violent, says our correspondent, particularly supporters of al-Ahly known as the Ultras.
They have been heavily implicated in confronting the police during recent political protests, our correspondent adds. There is speculation that the security forces may have had an interest in taking on al-Ahly supporters.
Wednesday’s violence broke out at the end of the match, which, unusually, Port Said club al-Masry won 3-1.
Witnesses said the atmosphere had been tense throughout the match – since an al-Ahly fan raised a banner insulting supporters of the home team.
As the match ended, their fans flooded onto the pitch attacking al-Ahly players and fans.
A small group of riot police tried to protect the players, but were overwhelmed.
Part of the stadium was set on fire.
According to officials, most of the deaths were caused by concussions, deep cuts to the heads and suffocation from the stampede.
“This is not football. This is a war and people are dying in front of us,” al-Ahly player Mohamed Abo Treika said.
“I cannot believe these things happened randomly, I don’t think so, it was arranged,” said Al-Ahly official Hanan Zeini.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood – which has emerged as Egypt’s biggest party in recent elections – blamed supporters of ousted President Hosni Mubarak for the violence.
“The events in Port Said are planned and are a message from the remnants of the former regime,” Muslim Brotherhood lawmaker Essam al-Erian said.
He went on by saying that the army and police wanted to silence critics demanding an end to the state of emergency in the country.
In Cairo, another match was halted by the referee after news of the Port Said violence.
It prompted fans to set parts of the stadium on fire, though no casualties were reported and the fire was quickly extinguished.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter issued a statement, expressing his shock over the Port Said incident.
“This is a black day for football. Such a catastrophic situation is unimaginable and should not happen,” he said.
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