Egypt police fire teargas on protesters, arrest 73

The Egyptian police have arrested dozens of anti-coup protesters and fired teargas at thousands of Muslim Brotherhood activists and their supporters, demanding the reinstatement of ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

The anti-coup protesters staged demonstrations in the capital Cairo and several other cities and towns after Friday prayers against a brutal crackdown by the army that toppled Morsi in July.

Thirty protesters were arrested in Cairo and 43 others were detained in seven other provinces, the Interior Ministry said.

The demonstrators chanted slogans against the army and carried the pictures of the Brotherhood members who were killed during the military-appointed government’s crackdown on the anti-coup demonstrations.

“Down, down with military rule!” the protesters chanted.

The protests were held against the backdrop of deployment of large numbers of security forces across the country.

In Cairo, a large number of pro-army people also took to the streets and clashed with Morsi supporters.

Egypt has been experiencing unrelenting violence since July 3, when the army ousted Morsi’s government, suspended the constitution and dissolved the parliament. It also appointed the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly Mahmoud Mansour, as the new interim president.

The government of Mansour has launched a bloody crackdown on Morsi supporters and arrested more than 2,000 Muslim Brotherhood members, including the party’s leader Mohamed Badie, who was detained on August 20.

About 1,000 people were killed in a week of violence between Morsi supporters and security forces after police dispersed their protest camps in a deadly operation on August 14.

The massacre sparked international condemnation and prompted world bodies to call for an independent investigation into the violence.