Egyptian police clash with students at al-Azhar

Egyptian police have raided Cairo’s al-Azhar University as the military-appointed government continues its violent crackdown on anti-coup student protesters.

On Thursday, police clashed with the students protesting against the military that toppled President Mohamed Morsi and suspended the constitution in July.

Several students, including female students, were reportedly arrested and a number of others wounded during the raid.

Anti-coup protests have swept universities across the country since the new academic year started in September.

Earlier in the day, police raided Zagazig University in the northern province of al-Sharqiyah and arrested several students protesting against the military.

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.

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 in mid-August.

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

Following the coup, army officials said Morsi, who took office in June 2012, was being held “preventively” by the military.

However, Morsi said on November 13 in a letter that he was kidnapped by the Republican Guard before the military formally removed him on July 3.

He also declared himself still Egypt’s legitimate leader, describing his overthrow as a military coup and a crime.