Muslim Brotherhood Statement on Friday 12 October Protests and Clashes
The Muslim Brotherhood was as shocked and appalled as the rest of the Egyptian people by the latest Cairo Criminal Court verdicts that acquitted all the defendants in the so-called Battle of the Camels case.
The spontaneous reaction was to take to Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square in a popular demonstration that would then move over to the Supreme Justice Courthouse, to protest the conditions and circumstances that led to disappearance or destruction of evidence against the suspects, and to pressure investigation bodies to submit whatever evidence they have to judges so they can indeed apply justice and achieve retribution.
Thus the purpose was urge the public prosecutor, as custodian of public proceedings, to do his duty to protect society, to be truly loyal to the people and the goals of the revolution, not to the corrupt former regime and its cronies.
Other political forces, groups and movements had decided to demonstrate in Tahrir Square on the same day to protest against the government's policy in the first hundred days of the elected President’s term, and also against acquittals of all suspects in the Battle of the Camels case.
We thought that the area of ??agreement afforded by the Camel case verdicts was capable of ensuring cooperation in this matter, recognizing other parties’ right to peaceful expression of whatever they disagree with us about.
However, as a small number of Brotherhood members arrived in Tahrir Square, they were surprised to face a stream of curses and insults directed at them, their group (the Brotherhood) and their leader.
Soon enough, the few Brotherhood members on the scene were viciously, physically attacked. This prompted some of them to try to defend themselves. A handful of thugs were spotted, wearing T-shirts with the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) slogan splashed all over them, committing violent crimes which were quickly attributed to FJP and Brotherhood youths.
Then, dozens of thugs headed from Mohamed Mahmoud Street towards Tahrir Square where they dismantled a raised stage. The media deliberately rushed to falsely accuse Brotherhood members of that violent incident, which was an utter lie.
Meanwhile, Muslim Brotherhood members arrested three of these thugs and handed them over to Qasr al-Nil Police Department nearby.
Shortly afterwards, when Brotherhood members started gathering in the vicinity of the Egyptian Museum, in preparation to go to the Supreme Justice Courthouse to express their will to establish truth and justice and achieve retribution for the martyrs, they were chased by a number of thugs and demonstrators from other political forces.
Those thugs and violent protesters kept throwing stones at Brotherhood youths, until the number of Muslim Brotherhood members injured in the attack exceeded seventy youths.
Some of the violent thugs even burnt Brotherhood bus and attacked and destroyed another. They had the audacity to proudly admit committing those violent offences on satellite TV channels.
We call upon Egypt’s security forces to arrest these criminals and bring them to trial, so they would get a fair punishment.
We believe Tahrir Square is for all Egyptians, and that no-one has the right to deny Brotherhood members the right to enter, gather or demonstrate there, just like we gathered and participated in numerous demonstrations with dozens of other groups and movements. We never excluded any party or movement.
We call upon all political parties, groups and movements to put the interest of the country high above all personal, factional or partisan interests, and to embrace love of the homeland and focus on its progress and prosperity more than their unjustified and illogical hatred of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Furthermore, we are aware of certain owners of private satellite TV channels who meet to plot how their TV channels should attack, vilify and slander the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamists at large, as well as the institution of the presidency and the government.
We remind all those schemers of God’s Words: “Evil plotting falls only upon those who scheme it” (Quran – Chapter 35:43) and “Allah has full power and control over all affairs; but most mankind know it not” (Quran – Chapter 12:21)..