ElBaradei Resigns, But Others in Egypt Junta Defend Crackdown

PM Lauds 'Restraint' After Police Kill Hundreds

The massacre of several hundred civilian protesters in Cairo was definitely a game-changer for Egypt’s military junta, less than a month and a half after taking power, but not everybody within the junta’s “interim government” sees it the same way.

Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei, given the position by the military because of his international popularity, quickly resigned, saying that he had warned against and disapproved of the crackdown. ElBaradei went on to say he believed that the only beneficiaries of such violence were the “extremists,” by which he presumably meant the elected government.

Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi, a Mubarak-era official, had an entirely different take, accusing the protesters of “terrorising citizens” and praising the police for showing “restraint” in only having killed a few hundred people and shot thousands of others.

Beblawi also defended the announcement of a State of Emergency across Egypt, saying it was “necessary” for the sake of democracy, and that the junta remains committed to its “roadmap” toward imposing a new constitution on the country and building a “civilian state.”

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.