Morsi's palace surrounded as protesters call for 'downfall of the regime'

By Richard Spencer, and Magdy Samaan in Cairo

6:53PM GMT 04 Dec 2012

Egypt's presidential palace was encircled by anti-Muslim Brotherhood protesters in a violent demonstration in Cairo, as the constitutional crisis caused by Mohammed Morsi's assumption of unchallengeable powers showed no sign of abating.

Mr Morsi was forced to leave the palace through a back door as up to 100,000 people moved in to surround it on all sides. Some stones were thrown, one hitting the rear car in the president’s convoy.

Ignoring volleys of tear gas, the protesters burst through first one then a second line of police set in the way to reach the palace, which was the site of the final act in the overthrow of former dictator Hosni Mubarak last year.

Then, as last night, demonstrators chanted: "The people want the downfall of the regime".

Mr Morsi thought he had won a significant victory on Monday, when the Supreme Judicial Council countermanded decisions by lower-ranking judges to boycott a referendum set to approve a constitution that opponents say is Islamist and fails to respect key rights. However last night's rally suggested opposition would continue.

"Thousands of people are joining us in this demonstration against the dictatorship of the Ikhwan (Brotherhood)," said Hussein Abdelghani, a spokesman for the National Salvation Front. The Front is the coalition of liberal, leftist and secular parties led by Mohammed ElBaradei, the former United Nations Atomic Agency chief, which is organising the protests.

"We are going to use any possible, civil means to send a message to both the president and the international community."

As tear gas swirled overhead, Maryam Samy, 25, a telecommunications engineer, said: "The new constitution has no compromise. They want to apply their own standards of freedom, which is not freedom.

"This constitution is worse than the Mubarak constitution. It was better under the military - we could all rebel against the military but the Brotherhood are using the poor and religion to divide society."

The rally provided a stark illustration of the dividing line that has cut across revolutionary Egypt. Saturday's marches by the Muslim Brotherhood also mustered hundreds of thousands, largely bussed in from the suburbs and the conservative provincial towns that provide the Brotherhood's base.

Yesterday's crowd was younger and more modern, with hardly any of the galabiyas, traditional Egyptian male tunics, or niqabs, full face-veils, that were widely on display on Saturday. Instead there were thousands of women, many not even wearing the head-scarf, as well as fashionably dressed young men.

Many were dismissive of the Brotherhood's supporters. Ali Sisy, the deputy editor of Masry al-Youm, one of the main liberal newspapers, said bluntly: "This is a conflict between ignorance and civilisation."

The Brotherhood insists the constitution contains basic rights and freedoms, including of speech and belief, as well as recognising Egypt's traditional, Muslim culture. It also says the referendum, set for December 15, will end Mr Morsi's self-proclaimed powers to act without judicial oversight on "sovereign matters".

It also accuses opposition leaders like Mr ElBaradei of being responsible for the impasse, since they have refused to meet Mr Morsi until he backs down on those powers. "We're glad Egyptians are able to express opinion freely and hopefully peacefully," the Brotherhood's website said. "Ballot box to decide outcome."