Egyptians Defy Curfew as Army Warns of ‘Collapse’

[DonViejo]

Jan 29, 2013 6:50 AM EST

As Egyptians rebel against President Morsi and ignore curfew, the Army warns that the state could collapse. Vivian Salama and Mike Giglio on the new revolution sweeping the nation.

Port Said remained defiant on Monday night. When the hour came for the new 9 p.m. curfew—imposed by President Mohamed Morsi’s controversial emergency decree—protesters in the restive Mediterranean city promptly poured into the streets. They sang songs, chanted against Morsi’s government and played soccer—at times, even kicking balls at the soldiers tasked with enforcing the curfew, who gamely kicked the balls back. Cars drove around town with makeshift license plates labeled “The Republic of Port Said.”

The scenes were similar in cities across the three governorates where the emergency decree took effect, as Morsi’s attempt to restore order following nearly a week of unrest that has left more than 50 dead seemed to be faltering. In Port Said—where clashes erupted last week after a court doled out death sentences to young soccer fans known as “ultras” for their role in a deadly riot last year—the demonstrations were quickly moving beyond soccer. “This started with the ultras, but the problem is bigger,” said Mohamed el-Katatny, an engineer and Port Said native. “It’s a matter of injustice.”

For Aly Ashraf, an 18-year-old student in Port Said who said he was unaffiliated with an ultras group or political party, the protests now were about one thing—Morsi. “Morsi’s administration divided our country,” he said.

Morsi has tapped the military to help bring the city and its neighbors back to order—on Monday, the Egyptian government passed a measure granting the Army the power of arrest. Meanwhile, the country’s top military commander, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, issued a dire warning about the ongoing unrest, via a statement on the military’s official Facebook page. “The continuation of the struggle of the different political forces,” he said, “could lead to the collapse of the state.”

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/29/egyptians-defy-curfew-as-army-warns-of-collapse.html