Bloody clashes that took place in Moqattam on Friday dominated Sunday’s newspapers, with both independent and state-owned newspapers offering detailed coverage of the violence and its aftermath, as well as the blame game played by political forces.
Most newspapers led with bold dramatic headlines condemning Friday’s violence, while hinting at political forces’ reactions in their subheads.
State-owned Al-Ahram was the only exception, as it leads with the Justice Ministry’s plans to issue 59 new laws in line with the revolution’s goals and which pertain to the economy. The newspaper reveals plans of legal mediation that would solve “80 percent of economic feuds.”
The newspaper then goes on to offer a benign overview of reactions from political forces, amid promises to protect citizens and public institutions.
Another two attempts to smuggle fabric used for the military’s uniform also made it on Al-Ahram’s front page, explaining that they were thwarted at Cairo International Airport and the Dekheila Port in Alexandria. This tidbit was also reported on by Al-Gomhurriya newspaper.
State newspaper Al-Gomhurriya’s main headline reads “The blood of our youth sheds as political forces play the blame game.”
The newspaper leads with the Strong Egypt Party’s statement on the Moqattam clashes, which condemns any acts of violence. The article continues to describe Islamist parties’ statements on the issue, including reactions from Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, the Construction and Development Party and the Freedom and Justice Party.
On its part, Al-Akhbar newspaper refers to Friday’s violence as a “Brotherhood massacre,” offering a comprehensive report ranging from detailed victims’ accounts, to complaints filed at the general prosecutor as well as arrests made and the damages inflicted.
Independent newspaper Al-Shorouk says the blood of the Moqattam’s victims is on everyone’s hands.
“The Muslim Brotherhood mobilizes and vows, the National Salvation Front renounces and criticizes and the presidency is silent,” the newspaper’s headline reads.
It also reports on calls for a million man march by the Islamists to Media City Sunday to protest what they believe is “biased reporting” on the Moqattam clashes. For its part, however, the Salafi Nour Party refused to participate in the protest, saying it will not “respond to chaos with chaos.”
Al-Shorouk, along with other newspapers, including the Freedom and Justice Party newspaper dub the Friday clashes “The Hill Battle,” which in Arabic aptly rhymes with the “Camel Battle.”
The independent newspaper includes an interesting article, detailing accounts of photographers who were covering the events at Moqattam on Friday, belonging to different news organizations such as Reuters, Al-Masry Al-Youm and Al-Shorouk.
The photographers describe their pain in watching the violence ensue, with most of them saying they cried as they captured the bloody scene.
“I don’t care if the victim belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood or not, it’s not important what his name is, but today I saw people who do not know each other, killing one another,” Al-Shorouk quoted its photographer Sabry Khaled as saying.
Independent newspaper Al-Tahrir’s coverage of the events is summed up in its headline “Violence breeds violence.”
The newspaper reports the reactions the Muslim Brotherhood, the opposition as well as security sources.
An op-ed by its Chief Editor Ibrahim Eissa, cleverly titled “Climbing down from the hill,” explains that the Brotherhood “no longer has a monopoly over violence.”
Eissa starts by addressing Brotherhood leader Khairat Al-Shater, telling him that the Muslim Brotherhood “doesn’t scare anyone anymore.”
He explains that the violence in Moqattam is a lesson for the Brotherhood that violence can only breed violence. The op-ed goes on to say that Friday’s clashes “brought down the group from the hill” and ridded it of its “esteem.”
Eissa says that while the youth managed to restore the dignity of the woman who was slapped in front of the Brotherhood headquarters a few days earlier, he however laments that they lost one of the revolution’s main values: its peacefulness.
He concludes that violence is no longer exclusive to the Brotherhood, but is an option for everyone, even those who condemn it.
The Freedom and Justice Party’s newspaper includes an extremely comprehensive coverage of the Friday battle, while reviewing the party’s statement announced in the press conference held Saturday, where it vowed to “come after” those responsible for the violence.
The newspaper’s inside pages include detailed accounts on the assault of one of its journalists as well as other victims, along with eyewitness accounts from residents who live in Moqattam.
Egypt’s papers:
Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt
Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size
Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run
Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned
Al-Watan: Daily, privately owned
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
Youm7: Daily, privately owned
Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned
Al-Sabah: Daily, privately owned
Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party
Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party
Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party
