Protests in Egypt grow more violent as supporters and opponents of Morsi clash

The constitutional crisis in Egypt has taken a violent turn as organized demonstrations of both supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi clash outside the presidential palace. The conflict, sparked by a presidential decree Morsi issued to give himself expanded powers and now inflamed by a controversial draft of the constitution that was openly objected to by Morsi opponents, has had tragic consequences. In the confrontations between Morsi supporters, opponents, and security forces, 120 people have been injured, though the Health Ministry has said there have been no deaths as a result of the fighting.  Even as Egyptian Vice President Mahmoud Mekki told a news conference that he believes it is possible to reach a compromise over a number of contentious points in the draft constitution, more organized demonstrations outside the presidential palace are being planned. The Muslim Brotherhood called for the rally “to defend legitimacy after (protesters) on Tuesday thought they could impose their opinions through force.” Mekki has said that once a consensus was reached among the different political parties, a written agreement could then be submitted to the next parliament, to be elected after a referendum on the constitution on December 15. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton encouraged dialogue rather than confrontation, “The upheaval that we are seeing now, once again, in the streets of Cairo and of other cities indicates that dialogue is urgently needed, and it needs to be a two-way dialogue, not one side talking at another side,” she said, adding that drafting the constitution should be a “process that is open, transparent and fair” and doesn’t “favor one group over any other.”