BICOM

Serious unrest returned to the streets of Egypt over the weekend, in the wake of a court decision upholding the death sentence handed down to 21 people in the northern city of Port Said.

The 21 convicted men were found guilty of causing the deaths of 74 rival football supporters in a riot at a stadium in Port Said just over a year ago. The court’s decision on Saturday triggered violent protests in Port Said as demonstrators alleged that the sentences are being used to assuage outrage in Cairo over the original violence. The Guardian reports that some protesters tried to block the Suez Canal and are demanding independence for the city. Meanwhile, according to AP, two people died in unrest in Cairo, as people took to the streets to demand that the police should be held more closely accountable for the original riot in Port Said.

Adding to the sense of disquiet, there has been an unprecedented series of police strikes over recent weeks, demanding better working conditions. This forced the country’s Interior Minister, Mohammed Ibrahim, to make a statement yesterday assuring the public that the police force would remain in control of law and order, saying “From the minister to the youngest recruit in the force, we will not accept to have militias in Egypt.”

There is already a significant political tension simmering in Egypt, with President Mohammed Morsi being accused by opposition groups of attempting to appropriate powers for his Muslim Brotherhood faction rather than instituting an effective democracy. Morsi faced bitter opposition to a new draft constitution last year and although parliamentary elections were recently announced to take place next month, opposition groups have already announced their intention to boycott the poll.