Fights broke out between liberal activists and Muslim Brotherhood members in Beni Suef on Friday after protesters posted banners critical of President Mohamed Morsy.
A group of Muslim Brotherhood youth was distributing sweets and gifts in Zeraeen Square in celebration of Eid al-Adha when they encountered the anti-Morsy protest. The activists were distributing copies of the letter sent from the Morsy administration to the Israel embassy, which was harshly criticized by Egyptian media for what some considered its overly friendly tone. Activists were also protesting high prices and the butane cylinder shortage.
Witnesses say the MB members tore up the protesters’ banners, provoking fights between the two groups. A number of bystanders in the square tried to calm the scuffles.
Doctor Nagwa Fathi Ali and her two daughters, Mona and Aya Ashraf, pressed charges against 32-year-old teacher Khaled Naguib, accusing him of destroying their banners and verbally abusing them.
A group of activists filed a police report against the MB members who provoked the conflict, said Walid Hussein, the secretary of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party in Beni Suef.
A Freedom and Justice Party source claimed that MB youth had nothing to do with the skirmishes, suggesting that the fight was started by citizens who were angry about the activists disrupting traffic.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
