Morsi Declares State of Emergency in Port Said, Ismailia and Suez

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Sunday declared a month-long state of emergency in the cities of Ismailia, Port Said and Suez, after rioting entered a fourth day. The trigger for the violent demonstrations was death sentences handed down to 21 defendants charged in the 2011 soccer stadium riots that left 31 dead. On Sunday, new violence broke out at the funerals of some of the 49 Egyptians who were killed by government troops since last Thursday: at least seven more protestors were shot dead by Morsi’s forces. At the funerals, crowds chanted anti-Morsi slogans and threatened to bring down the new government as they did the government of former President Hosni Mubarak. Officials in Port Said report at least 38 victims of gunshot wounds were treated at local hospitals. The demonstrators charge that Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood backers are working against democratic reforms.