CAIRO — When Egypt’s liberal activists began planning a demonstration to criticize President Mohammed Morsi’s failure to fulfill the lofty promises he set for his first 100 days in office, they had good reason to expect they would have Tahrir Square to themselves on a day they dubbed “Accountability Friday.”
Their vision of mobilizing once more in the square — this time in unity against Islamist control of post-revolution Egypt — did not materialize. The day ended with more than 100 injured after hours of clashes between the activists and Muslim Brotherhood members. It was the first incident of violence between the rival camps since long-time Brotherhood member Morsi took office in late June.
