One person has been killed and dozens injured as anti-government protesters attacked a provincial capital's Muslim Brotherhood office. Meanwhile in Cairo, police taken to tear gas in an attempt to remove protesters from a sit-in on Tahrir Square.
The clashes at the Freedom and Justice Party headquarters in the Nile Delta town of Damanhour follows widespread Egyptian rage over President Mohamed Morsi's move to grant himself absolute power."Brotherhood member Islam Fathy Masoud, 15, was killed and 60 were injured after thugs attacked the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Damanhour in the total absence of police forces," the party's website said.The incident happened as some 1,500 Muslim Brotherhood members organized in support of President Mohamed Morsi's controversial Constitutional Declaration at the group’s headquarters.Morsi’s opponents then reportedly clashed with the rally, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails amid an utter absence of security forces.Meanwhile, angry rioters in Cairo who accuse Morsi of betraying the revolution have clashed with police for a third consecutive day, in Tahrir Square, birthplace of the revolution.Protesters staging a sit-in in Tahrir, vowing not to leave before Morsi annuls his decrees, have been driven back by police tear gas. Since Thursday’s announcement by the president, a number of Freedom and Justice Party and Muslim Brotherhood offices throughout the country have been torched – while more than 500 people have been injured in violent protests. Yet, President Morsi insists that his power seizure is "temporary," and has called for political dialogue. He has agreed to meet the country's judges on Monday to negotiate a solution to the crisis. "The presidency reiterates the temporary nature of these measures, which are not intended to concentrate power," Morsi stated. "The presidency stresses its firm commitment to engage all political forces in an inclusive democratic dialogue to reach a common ground."