The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party has condemned the acts of thuggery and crime that took place during protests at the Islamist group’s headquarters in Moqattam, Cairo on Friday.
Over two hundred people were injured during clashes between supporters and opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the FJP condemned what it described as the siege of mosques and the violation of their sanctity by anti-Brotherhood protesters. It also condemned the alleged ‘assault’ on young girls preparing for Mother’s Day celebrations at the FJP office in El-Roda, central Cairo.
All necessary legal measures would be taken against those who attacked an FJP journalist and those who attacked and stole items from the FJP headquarters, as well as those who incited such acts, the party said.
“This [violence] is a cowardly criminal act,” that is not related to any political dispute or peaceful protest, the party added.
The FJP acknowledged that some opposition groups and figures had condemned the violence and called on those who have remained silent to clarify their position on the matter.
All those who perpetrated the violence or supported it should be punished by the state in order to prevent the country being dragged into greater chaos, the party said.
In a separate press conference on Saturday, the Muslim Brotherhood presented video footage and photographs of what it claimed were its supporters and members being beaten by opposition supporters during the protest on Friday.
The protest on Friday was called for by several opposition groups in response to what they described as “attacks” by Muslim Brotherhood members on protesters at its Moqattam headquarters last week.
Several opposition groups responded to the call for protests, including the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, the Free Egyptians Party and the Constitution Party, all of which are part of the National Salvation Front (NSF) umbrella opposition group.
April 6 Youth Movement condemned the violence, saying revolutionaries should not use violence to demand their rights. However, the movement also blamed the Brotherhood for prompting the violence, citing previous incidents and the group’s “failure” to lead the country.
NSF leader Mohamed ElBaradei also denounced the violence and blamed it on the government for failing to tackle its root causes.
Strong Egypt Party leader Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh blamed the “absence of the state” and the “president’s inability to contain the rift” [between government and opposition] for the escalating violence in Egypt.