Tens of thousands of supporters and opponents of President Morsi join protests across Egypt with violent clashes between the rival parties reported in Alexandria

Tens of thousands of supporters and opponents of President Morsi join protests across Egypt with violent clashes between the rival parties reported in Alexandria, where police used tear gas as one person was killed and over 70 got injured.

Security forces used tear gas to break up clashes between rival protesters in Alexandria, according to MENA news agency. Over 70 people were injured there. At least one person was killed by gunfire, a health official told Reuters.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s headquarters in Alexandria were stormed by anti-Morsi demonstrators and set on fire, local media reported.

At least 32 people were also injured in clashes in Dakahlia Governorate, according to Ahram Daily.

Both President Morsi’s supporters and opponents have been planning their rallies on Friday, while the wider opposition coalition is also expected to bring millions out on Sunday, calling for new elections.

“We are confident the Egyptian masses will go out in their millions in Egypt’s squares and streets on June 30 to confirm their will to get the January 25 revolution back on track,” the liberal opposition coalition said.

RT’s correspondent in Egypt Bel Trew reported that “the country is worried that there will be further violence after several days of clashes between rival groups, demonstrating either in support of the president or against him.”

In the capital, thousands of people marched towards Tahrir Square, chanting slogans against President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. Marches in Cairo originated from Mostafa Mahmoud Square, Sayeda Zeinab, Al-Azhar Mosque and Shubra, Ahram Online reports.

In the light of the rallies, local residents have been withdrawing cash, queuing outside petrol stations and stocking up on food, according to AFP. Many companies said they would close on the first day of the working week in Egypt, Sunday, when the large-scale opposition rally is due to take place.

The army, which helped protesters overthrow previous President Hosni Mubarak, has warned that it could step back in to impose order should violence spin out of control.

“Protest comes amidst a growing security crisis across the country. We’ve already seen several people die, hundreds injured in the days leading up to the protests. We’re seeing an increase of civilians armed and bringing those weapons to protests which has led many to call for the army to step in and secure the nation,” Bel Trew added.

Islamists, members of the brotherhood, and supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi shout slogans holding the Holy Quran during a protest around the Raba El-Adwyia mosque square in the suburb of Nasr City, Cairo, June 28, 2013.(Reuters / Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

Earlier this week one man was shot dead and four wounded in an attack on a provincial party office, Egypt’s ruling Muslim Brotherhood said. The incident, which took place north of Cairo, raised the death toll to five in factional fighting that also left many injured over the past week, with fears of wider violence during the upcoming protests, two years after the Arab Spring revolution that ousted Mubarak.

Egypt’s leading religious authority warned of “civil war” and called for calm in response to the death of the member of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood, Reuters reported.

“Vigilance is required to ensure we do not slide into civil war,” Al-Azhar clerical institution said in a statement reported by state media.

The Arab world’s most influential and one of the largest Islamic movements, the Muslim Brotherhood, has slammed activists campaigning to force the fifth president of Egypt, 61-year-old Morsi, to resign as he celebrates his first year in office.

On Thursday, the opposition National Salvation Front coalition refused Morsi’s offer to cooperate on reforms to end a political deadlock that has driven the biggest Arab nation into economic crisis, and called instead for an early presidential election.

Morsi’s critics primarily see him as a Muslim Brotherhood delegate, appointing Islamists in key positions, returning Egypt to authoritarianism.

Thousands of Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood supporters perform the Friday prayers as they gather at Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque to start an open-ended sit-in in support of the legitimacy of President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo on June 28, 2013.(AFP Photo / Gianluigi Guercia)

 “I think it goes without saying, and Morsi himself has partially admitted it, that he has disappointed people. As far as those people who helped to bring Mubarak down or a sizable section of them he’s changed absolutely nothing since he came to power and these protests are to show that the democratic fig leaf is not enough. So what will happen on Sunday will be quite decisive,” author and journalist Tariq Ali told RT.

Ali says Egypt is divided between those who seek an evolution towards democracy, and those who are still in the mind-set of the old regime.

“It’s not the case that he [Morsi] is bereft of support, it’s just that the country is now very sharply divided between those who want some meaningful change and he government which is maintaining continuity with the previous regime and in some instances getting worse.”

Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood supporters perform Friday prayers at Rabaa El-Adaweya mosque as thousands gather to start an open-ended sit in to show their support for the legitimacy of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on June 28, 2013 in the capital Cairo.(AFP Photo / Gianluigi Guercia)

Morsi’s Islamist supporters emphasize that he derives his authority from the first free presidential election in Egypt’s history, and that the challenges he faces, namely corrupt and inefficient institutions, economic woes and religious strife have all been inherited.

In a televised speech on Wednesday, Morsi warned that political polarization threatened to “paralyze”Egypt.

He has also admitted making mistakes and pledged to correct them.

“I have made many mistakes, there is no question. Mistakes can happen, but they need to be corrected,” he said.

Morsi threatened legal action against several prominent figures, claiming some judges were obstructing him, and accused liberal media owners of bias.

Shortly afterwards, he publicly accused the owner of CBC television of tax evasion, Mohamed Amin found he was barred from leaving the country. “This is dictatorship,” his lawyer told Reuters.

Officials also ordered the arrest of a talk show host on another channel and the station to be shut down for inciting mutiny in the army and for insulting the armed forces and the police.

Last week, tens of thousands of Islamists got together, chanting for Morsi and Islamic law, calling the turnout proof that he enjoys mass support and accusing the opposition of being remnants of Mubarak’s regime.