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(Image source: Wikimedia Commons / Jonathan Rashad)
BY JAMAL ANDRESS
A day of celebration in Egypt has turned violent. At least 28 people were killed during the
40th anniversary celebration of the 1973 war with Israel.
While army supporters came to Tahrir Square to celebrate, the Anti-Coup Alliance, a group
opposed to military rule, converged on the square from different directions. Alliance
members protesting the ousting of former President Mohamed Morsi were met by police with tear
gas. (Via BBC)
Protesters reportedly knew they were headed into a volatile situation, per an announcement
by the spokesman for Egypt's interim president warning that protesters would be treated as
agents of foreign powers. (Via Jewish News One)
The celebration is to commemorate the Arab-Israeli War in 1973 when Egypt staged a surprise attack
on Israeli forces during Yom Kippur.
Al Jazeera reports violence on this anniversary shows just how divided the city is. "The anniversary
of the October War is seen by many Egyptians as an incredibly significant day, and the
possibility of bloodshed on Sunday was seen as a sign of escalating divisions across the
country."
After months of constant conflict, the military ended Mohamed Morsi's presidency in July.
The fighting stopped for a few weeks but returned Friday when "troops and riot police battled
Islamist protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Demonstrators in support of ousted President
Mohamed Morsi tried to take control of the area." (Via Fox News)
That conflict left four protesters dead and more than 40 injured.