At least 36 people were killed as the death toll piled up in Egypt’s northeastern city of Port Said following a court verdict that sentenced 21 people to death for their role in one of the world’s deadliest incident in football violence.
Clashes erupted early Sunday in Zagazig, an area northern Cairo, between supporters and foes of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, reported Al Arabiya.
Armored vehicles and military police fanned through the streets of Port Said, where gunshots rang out and protesters burned tires in anger that people from their city had been blamed for the deaths of 74 people at a match last year.
The rioting in Port Said, one of the most deadly spasms of violence since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster two years ago, followed a day of anti-Mursi demonstrations on Friday, when nine people were killed.
The European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Saturday expressed “great concern” over the deadly street clashes in Egypt’s Port Said, urging officials to restore calm.
“It is with great concern that the High Representative heard about the violent clashes in Port Said leaving several people killed,” Ashton’s spokesperson said in a statement.
“She also urges the Egyptian authorities to restore calm and order and calls on all sides to show restraint in the best interest of the country at this delicate time in its democratic transition.”
Days of fierce clashes
Clashes in Port Said erupted after a judge sentenced 21 men to death for involvement in the genocide at the soccer match on Feb. 1, 2012. Many were fans of the visiting team, Cairo’s Al Ahly.
Judge Sobhi Abdel-Maguid did not give his reasoning when he read out the verdicts for 21 out of the 73 defendants Saturday. The verdict for the remaining 52 defendants, including nine security officials, is scheduled to be delivered on March 9. Some have been charged with murder and others with assisting the attackers.
Die-hard soccer fans from both teams, known as Ultras, hold the police at least partially responsible for February’s violence, which was the world’s worst soccer violence in 15 years, saying officers at the game did nothing to stop the bloodshed. They also criticized Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi for doing little to reform the police force or the judiciary since he took office in July.
Tamer al-Fahla, former goalkeeper of the al-Masry team, and Mohammad al-Dadhwi who played for Port Said’s al-Mareekh team, were both killed on Saturday’s violence.
The board of directors at al-Mareekh’s team did not comment on the sentence, but it held the political leadership responsible for what happened.
In response to the sentences, supporters gathered at Al Ahly club in Cairo cheered. In the courtroom on the outskirts of Cairo, families of victims clapped and some wept with emotion.
“God is greatest” one shouted, while others held up pictures of the victims.
Meanwhile, people gathered near the Port Said prison where most of the suspects were held. State television reported the sound of gunshots and said police fired tear gas in the area to disperse the masses.
Source: Alarabiya
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