Today's newspapers, both independent and state-owned, condemn Sunday's violence outside the state TV building in central Cairo, and mostly refer to the protesters as the aggressors – particularly party-paper Al-Wafd and state-owned Al-Akhbar.
The only exception is independent Al-Shorouk, which gives a fuller and more careful report on the events. It states on its third page that armored vehicles ran over protesters, but that on the other hand some protesters were carrying bullets and knifes.
Al-Shorouk also reports on the curfew applied in downtown Cairo Sunday night and says detainees will be sent to military courts. It also mentions CNN reports that Hillary Clinton has offered to send forces to protect houses of worship and vital areas in Egypt.
The clashes around the state TV building, Maspero, and neighboring streets continued until the early hours of Monday morning. Twenty-four were killed and 317 injured, according the the Health Ministry, and a large number of protesters were arrested. A number of cars and military armored vehicles were destroyed. Curfew was imposed from 2 am until 7 am in certain downtown areas.
Independent newspapers quote General Hamdy Badeen, commander of the military police, as saying that the military police is counting yesterday’s losses, removing burned cars from the Maspero area, and monitoring and counting the injured in hospitals. He said military officers and soldiers are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect their country.
State-owned Al-Akhbar says that thousands of protesters marched from Shubra and attacked military police with machetes and Molotov cocktails. The protesters took hold of a military armored car and started firing at the soldiers, accoring to the paper. It states that the military arrested around 40 people in downtown Cairo. According to the newspaper, the protesters threw stones at military police, injuring 12; central security forces and military officials then chased the protesters.
Independent newspaper Al-Dostour writes the attackers were not Egypt’s Copts, but criminals causing terror and attempting to burn the country before the elections. However, it does say that around 50,000 Coptic protesters launched an armed protest, unprecedented in the history of the church. It says that observers state that these events are intended to divide Egypt through sectarian strife and that three more such attempts could take Egypt down.
Al-Gomhurriya leads with the question: "Who is setting Egypt on fire?" It quotes a military source as saying that the events were planned and that there will be military trials for those involved in killing or injuring soldiers and destroying military equipment. The sheikh of Al-Azhar called for self-control to protect the country, it says, and the grand mufti condemned the events and called for an immediate investigation.
Al-Wafd’s headline reads: "A bloody disaster in front of Maspero." It claims that protesters attacked soldiers with metal chains, daggers and Molotov cocktails. According to the newspaper, security sources stated yesterday that three officers and five Central Security staff were injured during the Maspero protests, and that Coptic protesters threw stones and fired at central state security members.
Sources stated that Interior Ministry Mansour al-Essawy headed a meeting with the ministry’s officials to discuss the crisis and instructed officials to protect vital buildings on the Nile corniche, avoid angry Coptic protesters, and arrest anyone carrying a gun or using violence against police or army officers.
Egypt's papers:
Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt
Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size
Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run
Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
Youm7: Daily, privately owned
Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned
Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Arab Nasserist party
