EGYPT - Government Crackdown on Islamist Protesters

My sincere sympathies to the Egyptian people.  Their brief experiment on democracy has failed.  It is very hard to overcome decades of sectarian distrust, and it IS trust that democracy requires.

"Hundreds Die as Egyptian Forces Attack Islamist Protesters" By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, New York Times 8/14/2013

Excerpt

Egyptian security officers stormed two encampments packed with supporters of the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, on Wednesday in a scorched-earth assault that killed hundreds, set off a violent backlash across Egypt and underscored the new government’s determination to crush the Islamists who dominated two years of free elections.

The attack, the third mass killing of Islamist demonstrators since the military ousted Mr. Morsi six weeks ago, followed a series of government threats.  But the scale — lasting more than 12 hours, with armored vehicles, bulldozers, tear gas, birdshot, live ammunition and snipers — and the ferocity far exceeded the Interior Ministry’s promises of a gradual and measured dispersal.

At least one protester was incinerated in his tent.  Many others were shot in the head or chest, including some who appeared to be in their early teens, including the 17-year-old daughter of a prominent Islamist leader, Mohamed el-Beltagy.  At a makeshift morgue in one field hospital on Wednesday morning, the number of bodies grew to 12 from 3 in the space of 15 minutes.

“Martyrs, this way,” a medic called out to direct the men bringing new stretchers; the hems of women’s abayas were stained from the pools of blood covering the floor.

Adli Mansour, the figurehead president appointed by Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, declared a state of emergency, removing any limits on police action and returning Egypt to the state of virtual martial law that prevailed for three decades under President Hosni Mubarak.  The government imposed a 7 p.m. curfew in most of the country, closed the banks and shut down all north-south train service.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the main Islamist group behind Mr. Morsi, reiterated its rejection of violence but called on Egyptians across the country to rise up in protest, and its supporters marched toward the camps to battle the police with rocks and firebombs.

"State of Emergency in Egypt After Violent Response to Deadly Protest Crackdowns" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 8/14/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Gunfire and tear gas filled the streets of Cairo, which took on the sights and sounds of a war zone.  As warned, security forces swept pro-Morsi protesters in attempt to break a standoff.  More than 200 people died and the interim government declared a state of emergency as violence ripples across Egypt.  Jeffrey Brown reports.

"Egyptian Authorities Seem 'Entrenched' Despite Bloody Turning Point in Conflict" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 8/14/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Jeffrey Brown talks to Michael Giglio of Newsweek from Cairo about the scene at the frontlines of the bloody crackdown and his experience of being detained and beaten by Egyptian security forces, and NewsHour's Margaret Warner and Nathan Brown of George Washington University offer analysis on abandoned negotiation efforts.