The political repression and the brutal crackdown on political activists in Egypt must stop immediately, before an out and out civil war spreads throughout the country, stated Sinn Féin’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Seán Crowe TD, today.

Crowe was speaking after the Egyptian authorities violently attacked the protest camps of Muslim Brotherhood supporters. It is reported that the number of dead is in the hundreds.

Deputy Crowe said:

“The situation in Egypt has been very volatile and fragile for some time, and this culminated in the army seizing power in a military coup on July 3rd.

“I have already condemned this action and the intervention of the Egyptian military into political life. I firmly believe that governments should be appointed and removed from office by democratic means and this type of intervention is unacceptable.

“The military have already arrested hundreds of political activists, elected representatives, and President Morsi.

“Today’s brutal and bloody crackdown on protest camps have left hundreds of political activists’ dead and injured.

“It was quite simply a massacre and a blood bath, reminiscent of Bloody Sunday in Derry and Sharpeville in South Africa.

“I completely condemn the action of the Egyptian authorities and call on them to end the suppression of particular political parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood. Violently repressing civilians who are staging political protests is completely unacceptably and will only deepen the crisis in Egypt.

“Yesterday Egypt’s military appointed 25 new provincial governors for Egypt and 19 of them are army generals. This has further increased the fear among Egyptians of a return to the authoritarianism they suffered under Hosni Mubarak.

“Today’s massacre and the escalation of violence have raised fears that Egypt could slip into a state of civil war. This must be avoided at all costs and I am calling, along with other democrats, for the restrictions on political activity to be removed.

“This confidence building measure needs to be introduced immediately so that all sections of society can play their rightful role in developing a new way forward for all Egyptians. The military has no democratic mandate.

“The violence needs to end and democratic governance should be immediately restored in Egypt.”

ENDS