AL AHRAM (Egypt), MASRAWY (Egypt), AL-MASRY AL-YOUM (Egypt)
CAIRO – As Al-Masry Al-Youm describes it on Monday, President Mohammed Morsi’s latest speech to the nation, meant to calm Egypt after days of deadly unrest, only “added fuel to the fire.”
The Egyptian President announced the state of emergency Sunday night in the major Canal cities (Port Said, Suez and Ismailia) and imposed a curfew. In the same speech, Morsi thanked the armed forces and the police for their efforts to secure these cities.
He also called opposition leaders such as Amr Moussa, Mohamed El Baradei, and Hamdin Sabbahi, to open a dialogue about the violence that has been gripping Egypt. The trio issued a common declaration to Masrawy daily on Monday, saying that they will unanimously boycott any dialogue with Morsi.
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The latest spurt of violence started Saturday after the criminal court of Port Said sentenced 21 Egyptians to death for the massacre that took place during a football match last year, that left 74 Ahly club supporters dead, according to the figures given by Al Ahram.
After word of the verdict spread, youth from the northern city headed towards the prison where the prisoners were transferred, attempting to get them out by force. This led to clashes with the police, leading to the death of 32, Al-Masry Al-Youm reports.
