After having many hundreds of their supporters killed in Wednesday’s massacres, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood is being backed further into a corner, seeking a return to power as the actual, elected government but facing a military junta that seems willing to kill as many people as necessary to retain power itself.
What’s left of the group’s leadership has issued a statement declaring Friday a “day of anger,” and calling for millions to turn out against the junta, saying the “revolution is peaceful and shall remain this way.” This echoes UN calls for both sides to exercise “restraint,” and is in stark contrast to the junta’s defense of its killings.
Keeping the group’s supporters in line with that viewpoint is getting harder and harder as the junta turns more violent, with attacks on junta buildings being presented by the military as proof that the protesters are “terrorists.”
As the fight to return to civilian governance in Egypt drags on, it will be more and more difficult to keep the Muslim Brotherhood’s supporters, particularly those who lost family and friends in the massacres, from turning to violence. So far the riots have been limited, however, with most of the protesters staying peaceful. Whether that will continue Friday remains to be seen.
