In an address to the nation following fierce clashes outside his palace,
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy says he won't be retracting his new
powers early.
FULL STORY
- Analyst: Morsy speech 'schizophrenic'
- Why has Cairo unrest erupted again?
- Pitched battles | Tanks deployed
- Photos: Egypt's anti-government demos
- iReport: Are you there? | CNNArabic.com
December 6, 2012 -- Updated 2309 GMT (0709 HKT)
Morsy: I will not allow murder, sabotage
Cairo (CNN) -- Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy didn't back off the controversial edict he issued or Egypt's upcoming constitutional referendum, saying Thursday night that he respects peaceful opposition to his decisions but won't stand for violence.STORY HIGHLIGHTS- NEW: The Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters is burned and looted, a top adviser says
- President Morsy says those tied to violence "will not escape punishment"
- He calls for dialogue, but doesn't take back his edict or the constitutional vote date
- Distrustful opposition activists accuse Morsy's supporters of violence
Addressing "those who oppose me" and his supporters, Morsy condemned those involved in recent clashes -- referring specifically to those armed with weapons and who are backed and funded by members of the "corrupt ... ex-regime" -- and promised they'd be held accountable."(They) will not escape punishment," the president said in a televised speech.Morsy's words not only didn't mollify many protesters on the streets, it further enraged them. Activists camped in Cairo's Tahrir Square chanted "Leave! Leave! Leave!" as the president talked.Egyptians protest president's powers
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And minutes after the speech ended, the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo was "ablaze," state TV reported, citing witnesses. The Islamist group said on Twitter and its website that the building came under "a terrorist attack" and hundreds were surrounding it."MB HQ looted and destroyed and put on fire," said Jihad Haddad, a senior adviser in the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood that Morsy once led.Haddad added, on Twitter, that 36 Brotherhood and party offices have been "destroyed" in recent weeks amid of wave of antagonism and, at times, times violence directed against them. Banned under longtime President Hosni Mubarak, the Brotherhood is now Egypt's dominant political force -- as well as a prime target of opposition furor.Elsewhere around the North African nation, protesters reported scenes similar to those of the 2011 uprising that led to Mubarak's ouster -- saying the government, this time led by Morsy, was vigorously stamping out dissent. Specifically, they spoke of thugs with knives and rocks chasing protesters, presidential backers belittling opponents, and pressure from various quarters to go home and be quiet."It's exactly the same battle," said Hasan Amin, a CNN iReporter.A November 22 edict by Morsy, in which he made his decisions immune to judicial oversight until a new constitution is voted upon, set off the latest wave of political unrest. And it's been growing -- and growing more violent -- in recent days.Ahead of the president's speech, opposition leaders were specific in what would mollify them: Morsy must roll back his edict granting himself expanded presidential powers and postpone the scheduled December 15 referendum on a proposed constitution, one which they say doesn't adequately represent or protect all Egyptians.Neither happened.That fact, itself, isn't surprising. Morsy previously defended the edict as necessary to defend the revolution and his administration has insisted the proposed constitution was drafted legally and the referendum will go on as planned. If people vote it down, the president said Thursday night that he'd form a new assembly to draft another constitution.Yet opposition activists haven't shown any indication it trusts Morsy on that or other counts. They accuse him of consolidating power for himself and the Muslim Brotherhood, in part by having an Islamist-dominated group push through the draft constitution."This is not what we asked for," one protester said. "It's a complete dictatorship."About 40 miles north of Cairo, a crowd tried to storm Morsy's home in Zagazig, according to the Interior Ministry. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd and at least 20 protesters and six police officers were injured.Police arrested eight people. The suspects were carrying swords and clubs, the ministry said. Morsy was not there at the time.In the Maadi neighborhood of Cairo, someone also damaged the offices of the Freedom and Justice Part, the ministry said.The scene was calm, but tense, outside the presidential palace in Cairo, where the military parked tanks and armored personnel carriers, put up barbed-wire barricades and deployed soldiers.The area resembled a war zone. Piles of rubble and burned cars littered the streets. The doors of nearby storefronts were smashed in.Opposition groups marched towards the area chanting "Down with Morsy" and other slogans Thursday prior to Morsy's speech, according to the semi-official al-Ahram newspaper.That same day, Morsy suffered another defection from his inner circle. Rafik Habib, the deputy head of the Freedom and Justice Party, resigned, party spokesman Ahmed Sobe said. Habib did not give a reason.His resignation brings to five the number of presidential advisers who have left in the last two days. It is the first, however, from the Freedom and Justice Party.Adviser Amr Ellissy said Wednesday on Twitter that he resigned "in protest of the constitutional declaration and the fact that I was not consulted in making these decisions."Egyptian judges and media organizations also have staged strikes to show their displeasure with the situation. And 11 organizations representing lawyers, journalists, writers, actors, musicians and tour guides said Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood were behind the violence, al-Ahram reported.The group said it would call for Morsy's ouster if the administration failed to protect protesters and "fulfill the aspirations of the January 25 revolution," the newspaper said.Vice President Mahmoud Mekki asked critics Wednesday to submit their proposals for improving the constitution, and Morsy invited political opponents to a meeting Saturday at the president palace.But Morsy hasn't suggested he's ready to alter the constitution or the planned referendum date. And Muslim Brotherhood officials have been even more steadfast, as well as derogatory toward those protesters opposing them.Muslim Brotherhood Secretary-General Mahmoud Hussein said Thusday protesters weren't interested in democracy. He accused them of using "crude and contemptible ways of expression, rather than (putting) their points across in a civilized manner."And on Twitter, the Muslim Brotherhood said, "We hold opposition figures ... fully responsible for escalation of violence & inciting their supporters."While insisting he respects Egyptians' right to peaceful protest, Morsy spent a significant portion of his Thursday night speech blasting those he claims are behind the recent violence. He accused unspecified foreign and domestic sources of funding and fomenting the unrest, making specific reference to "corrupt" opposing forces tied to Mubarak's government."The deposed Mubarak regime will not be brought back to life under any circumstances," Morsy said, tweeted the Muslim Brotherhood.COPYedition.cnn.com
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