Egypt Protests Continue Despite Mursi's Emergency and Curfew [PHOTOS]
Anti-Mursi activists organise football games in front of government buildings in Ismailia
Protests have erupted in three Egyptian cities where President Mohammed Mursi declared a state of emergency and imposed night curfew.
Thousands marched in the cities along the Suez Canal ‑ Port Said, Suez, and Ismailia. At least two casualties have been reported in the overnight protests
The demonstration in Port Said turned violent as the protesters torched police stations injuring some of the security personnel. The curfew between 21:00 and 06:00 has so far not been effective in the three cities.
Local reports suggest that many shops in the volatile cities remained open during the night in an act of defiance against the curfew. The powerful Egyptian army and the police have not yet interfered with the curfew. The army has also been given powers to arrest civilians to maintain calm in the country.
Anti-Mursi activists are reported to have organised football games in front of government buildings in Ismailia.
"We are completely rejecting everything that President Mursi declared yesterday. He imposed a curfew and a state of emergency (which) he used to oppose when he was a member of the parliament. We are here in Ismailia in solidarity with our brothers in Suez and Port Said," a protester named Khalid Ali told the BBC.
Protesters chanted slogans against Mursi demanding the withdrawal of "undemocratic measures" which include the latest curfew. Demonstrators hold Mursi responsible for all the deaths during the clashes. More than 50 are people believed to have been killed across Egypt in the last few days.
According to a state television report, nearly 590 people were injured in the country on 28 January alone.
Meanwhile, Mursi's invitation for dialogue has been ignored by the main opposition group, the National Salvation Front.
"This call for dialogue is for show, it is not serious. We have presented certain conditions for any serious dialogue and if they remain unmet we will not go to dialogue just to pose for the camera," said the bloc's leader and liberal politician, Mohamed El Baradei.
Protests have continued in other Egyptian cities including Cairo and Alexandria. Clashes also erupted in Cairo's Tahrir Square.
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