Egypt's cabinet condemns violent clashes at Brotherhood Offices

Egypt's cabinet spokesperson has condemned the violent protests that took place at several Muslim Brotherhood offices on Friday. The spokesperson called on political forces in a statement issued on Saturday, to "remove the political cover" off those who carry out violent attacks "as these actions are not aimed at the country's interest, but rather to achieve goals that would undermine the country's security." About 200 people were injured when anti-Brotherhood protesters clashes with members of the group at the Brotherhood's headquarters in Moqattam, Cairo and stormed several of its offices nationwide. The cabinet said that the government is "committed to perform its duty of protecting the citizens and institutions from those who try to attack them." It added that those who incite the attacks aim to "drag the country into a state of violence and stop it from [completing] its democratic transition and holding parliamentary elections." The cabinet also said the people should remain committed to peaceful means to express their demands and that "political disputes" are solved by "election boxes and democratic mechanisms." The Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), released a statement earlier Saturday condemning the attacks, describing them as "criminal acts" and calling for "prosecuting the perpetrators." On the other hand, Egypt's Strong Egypt Party, led by former Muslim Brotherhood member and ex-presidential contender Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh, released a statement blaming the "absence of the state" and "the presidency's inability to contain the rift" for the current violence dominating the political scene. From Ahram Online