Hundreds were killed and injured in Cairo Wednesday as the army stormed Muslim Brotherhood camps protesting the removal of former president Mohamed Mursi. The government has declared a state of emergency with everything from transport to media shut down and a curfew imposed.
Witness and leading youth activist Mohammed Adel of the April 6 Youth Movement gave us his account.
Metro: What was your experience today?
Adel: I was at the [Rabaa] camp and it seemed that the army had an order to attack. But it was like they had no experience and were not prepared for what the Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters would do against them. When the protesters came out of the camp they moved into the squares and there was a lot of violence. In the areas they control they have attacked the police and officers have been killed.
Will liberal activist groups like April 6 join the Brotherhood against the army?
We are not happy about the deaths but we [April 6] will not join the clashes – what is happening is not protest, it is just violence and it would be stupid to join. Activists for democracy are afraid of violence and arrests, and many are trying to leave Cairo. [embedgallery id=202495]
What can calm the situation?
The violence will continue, there is so much blood between the parties. There is no trust so there cannot be a solution. In many places there are no police on the streets and they cannot stop the clashes. It is difficult to see how there could be elections again.