21 Egyptian football fans and club members sentenced to death

21 Egyptian football fans and club members were
sentenced to death on Saturday after a deadly
post-match riot in Port Said last year, sparking
new violence in the canal city that killed eight.
The clashes erupted after a Cairo court handed
down the death sentences over the football riot
last February in which 74 people were killed, and
came a day after violence swept Egypt on the
second anniversary of its uprising.
As news of the verdict emerged, relatives of those
condemned tried to storm the prison in Port Said
where they are being held, leading to fierce
clashes with security forces.
Unidentified assailants used automatic weapons
against police who responded with tear gas,
witnesses said.
Troops are being sent to Port Said, a senior army
officer said.
"It has been decided to deploy some units to work
for calm and stability and the protection of public
establishments," General Ahmed Wasfi said in a
statement carried by the official MENA news
agency.
Medics said the death toll in the Port Said clashes
climbed to eight, but it was not immediately clear
if that included two policemen security officials
said earlier had been shot dead.
Shops closed and armoured personnel vehicles
were deployed as fighting raged in some streets
around the prison.
In Cairo, both inside and outside court, there were
explosions of joy. Women ululated, relatives
hugged and shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is
greatest).
One man who lost his son in the Port Said clashes
wept outside the court, telling AFP: "I am satisfied
with the verdict."
Another, Hassan Mustafa, had pinned a picture of
his dead friend to his chest and said he was
pleased with the verdict, but wanted "justice
served for those who planned the killing."
Last February's riots between fans of home side
Al-Masry and Cairo's Al-Ahly also sparked days of
violent protests in Cairo, in which another 16
people were killed.
Many Egyptians believe the violence was
orchestrated either by the police or by supporters
of ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
The Cairo court has handed its verdict to Egypt's
top cleric for his final opinion, as is customary,
and set March 9 for delivering verdicts on another
52 defendants, including police officers.
The sentences come after a day of clashes
marking the revolution's second anniversary left
at least nine people dead and 530 injured.
Tens of thousands took to the streets nationwide
on Friday to protest against Islamist President
Mohamed Morsi, who is accused of failing the
revolution and consolidating power in the hands
of his Muslim Brotherhood.
The country is also in the throes of an economic
crisis as foreign investment and tourism revenues
dwindle, the Egyptian pound stands at its lowest
level against the dollar and a budget deficit shows
no sign of reversing.
Early on Saturday, Morsi took to Twitter to appeal
for calm, urging "citizens to adhere to the values
of the revolution, express opinions freely and
peacefully and renounce violence."
The interior ministry said 95 of its officers were
injured in Friday's violence.
Morsi said policemen were also among Friday's
dead and expressed his condolences "to all
Egyptians" over the deaths of both police and
protesters.
Troops in armoured vehicles deployed in Suez late
on Friday, taking up positions at the entry of the
canal, outside police headquarters and the
governorate building.
In Ismailiya province neighbouring Suez,
protesters stormed the governorate headquarters,
setting fire to a room used by security services
and looting furniture and equipment, an AFP
reporter said.
Demonstrators earlier torched the Muslim
Brotherhood headquarters in Ismailiya, the
reporter said.
In the Mediterranean city of Damietta, protesters
surrounded the governorate building and blocked
traffic. In the Nile Delta city of Kafr el-Sheikh they
stormed the courtyard of the governorate and
clashed with police.
In Cairo, police fired tear gas at protesters outside
the presidential palace, where clashes between
Morsi's allies and foes in December killed several
people.
Army and police forces were deployed to protect
the building, which houses the information
ministry as well as state television and radio.
Protesters also set fire to tyres and blocked traffic
in both directions on the 6 October bridge over
the Nile, a flyover that connects east and west
Cairo, and blocked the underground metro at
several stations, paralysing public transport.
In Egypt's second city Alexandria, as
demonstrators clashed with the security forces,
protesters set tyres alight, witnesses said.
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