And the violence in Egypt continues. At least 30 people were killed Saturday in the Egyptian coastal city of Port Said after a judge sentenced 21 soccer fans to death for their involvement in the deaths of 74 people at a game last February. All those killed Saturday died of gunshot wounds as battles broke out with the police, reports the Washington Post. The latest violence came a day after nine people were killed in protests against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, bringing the two-day death toll to 39, reports Reuters.
As soon as Saturday’s verdict was read live on television, two police officers were shot outside Port Said’s prison when relatives tried to free the defendants, notes the Associated Press. That’s when the police began firing live rounds, as well as tear gas and rubber bullets, at the protesters outside the prison. But violence quickly engulfed the city with protesters trying to take over the governor’s office as well as police stations.
“The tensions that have rippled from Friday into Saturday, sweeping up a host of popular grievances, also underscore the sense of injustice that lingers in this nation of 85 million two years after the fall of former president Hosni Mubarak,” notes the Washington Post.
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