Egypt’s Military-Backed Government Orders Breakup Of Violent Sit-In Protest In Support Of Ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi

Egypt’s military-backed interim government on Wednesday ordered Egyptian police to break up pro-Muslim Brotherhood and pro-ousted President Mohammed Morsi sit-in protests in Cairo, declaring them a threat to national security, Al-Jazeera reports Wednesday.

The government said in a televised statement that the acting interior minister was allowed to do “everything necessary to deal with them [the protesters] within the law.” The statement also accused the protesters of “terrorist acts” and traffic disruption.

"The continuation of the dangerous situation in Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda squares, and consequent terrorism and road blockages are no longer acceptable given the threat to national security," Information Minister Dorreya Sharaf el-Din said on television.

The sit-in protests have been at the root of much of the flaring violence around Cairo since Morsi was ousted on July 3. On Wednesday, government authorities referred Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie and two other leaders to court on charges of purposefully inciting the violence and killing protesters, the BBC reports.

On Saturday 70 people were killed in clashes around the largest protest in Nahda Square, near the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in the northeast of the city.

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