[BEEPS AND STATIC]
ARIS ROUSSINOS: The morning after the battle on the bridge
against the Brotherhood, the families of anti-Morsi
protesters came to the city morgue to claim the bodies of
those killed.
32 people had been killed in political violence across
Egypt that day.
-[SPEAKING ARABIC]
ARIS ROUSSINOS: The battle for the presidency was tearing
Egypt apart.
Now both sides have martyrs to bury and revenge to seek.
This wasn't just a struggle between politicians anymore
but the beginning of a conflict between civilian
militias.
-[SPEAKING ARABIC]
[CHANTING IN ARABIC]
ARIS ROUSSINOS: This cycle of violence began when the
anti-Morsi Tamarod, or rebel movement, urged the army to
overthrow Morsi.
Amr Badr is an activist for army-appointed Vice President
Mohamed ElBaradei's Dostour Party.
He took me to Tahrir Square to explain
Tamarod's side of the story.
What actually happened on June 30?
Was that a coup?
Was it a revolution?
AMR MOHAMMED BADR: I think it's a
combination between both.
It's a revolution because people marched the streets in
huge numbers.
They were calling the army to interfere, to
get rid of this ruler.
And the army responded.
That wasn't their initiative.
It was the people's initiative.
A coup, it comes only from the army, maybe against the will
of the people themselves.
But now the people, more than 50 million marched the
streets, asking the army to interfere and
to get rid of Morsi.
So I don't think it's a coup.
Last year was disastrous for Egyptians on the economic
level and the security levels and everything.
So they felt that we can't wait for another three years
to get rid of him.
ARIS ROUSSINOS: You make him sound like a bad president but
not a dictator.
Was it worth coming out in the streets to overthrow him?
AMR MOHAMMED BADR: I think he didn't get the chance to be a
dictator, but he wanted to.
The Muslim Brotherhood just had only one
idea in their heads.
That's what I think.
If we got our hands on everything, then we can do
whatever we want.
ARIS ROUSSINOS: But now the Brotherhood is saying, look,
we had a democratically elected president, and he was
forced out.
AMR MOHAMMED BADR: For myself, I preferred for the army not
to interfere.
I preferred to wait for three years to get rid of him with
fair elections.
But I'm with the people.
People decided to march the streets on June 30.
I'm with them.
Something really emerged in the last two days that America
is with the Brotherhood, that CNN is broadcasting
[INAUDIBLE], and everyone is saying it's a coup.
So let's show them that it's not a coup.
Let's show them that it's a revolution helped by the army.
ARIS ROUSSINOS: General al-Sisi has now appointed
himself as deputy prime minister, as well as defense
minister and commander-in-chief of the
armed forces.
After a day of mourning, both sides held mass demonstrations
across Cairo.
But what surprised me most was that it was the pro-army crowd
who were so passionately anti-American.
What's the theme of the demonstration today?
MAVIE MAHER: It's to save our revolution and to say to all
the world that this is a revolution
and not a coup d'etat.
Because we know that our government is under pressure
from USA and from all over the world because the Muslim
Brotherhood's tried to explain to the world that that's a
coup d'etat, and it's not a coup d'etat.
It is our revolution.
ARIS ROUSSINOS: By definition, if an army overthrows an
elected government, then it's a coup.
But in Egypt, the question is a controversial one, mostly
because of America.
Legally, the US government is forbidden to send military aid
to any country where a coup has taken place.
The Egyptian armed forces currently receive $1.3 billion
in aid from America every year.
Why is he holding that sign?
MAVIE MAHER: He's anti-Obama.
Because he refuses all the pressure made by the US
president and the US government on our military or
our people.
ARIS ROUSSINOS: The people behind us, they're saying
"Down with Obama."
MAVIE MAHER: Yes, exactly.
ARIS ROUSSINOS: "[ARABIC]
Obama."
MAVIE MAHER: Yes.
ARIS ROUSSINOS: It was too noisy to film in the crowd, so
we moved to the edge.
An angry mob began to form around us.
They thought we were part of an American conspiracy to make
their already small demonstration look even
smaller.
-[SPEAKING ARABIC]
ARIS ROUSSINOS: Why don't you like Obama?
ARIS ROUSSINOS: Obama.
ARIS ROUSSINOS: How does he support them?
ARIS ROUSSINOS: Thank you.
ARIS ROUSSINOS: Britain, "Vice."
ARIS ROUSSINOS: "Vice."
ARIS ROUSSINOS: We've just come from there.
ARIS ROUSSINOS: Tempers are pretty frayed here.
People hate Morsi.
People hate Obama.
They don't particularly like us.
-[SPEAKING ARABIC]
ARIS ROUSSINOS: [SPEAKING ARABIC]
-[SPEAKING ARABIC]
-Fuck USA!
Fuck USA!
Fuck Obama!
Fuck USA!
ARIS ROUSSINOS: It was coming to the end of our time in
Cairo, and I wanted to see whether the Muslim Brotherhood
were ready to compromise with the new government.
So how's this going to end?
I mean, how are you actually going to get
Morsi back into power?
-If there is any sincere will to really support democracy
and freedom among the leaders of the army, maybe they will
bring back, themselves, the democracy and our president.
But if they don't, I think it will be two options.
The minister of defense will run away anywhere, or one of
his assistants will give him up.
-[SPEAKING ARABIC]
-It will be a bit more aggressive and ugly.
Because when he still stubborn, the army, we will be
more stubborn.
And when it take more time, it will take more massacres, more
difficulties, and so on.
So it must be ended so soon, or the blood will be
splattered on the streets more and more and more.
[GUNFIRE]
ARIS ROUSSINOS: A few hours later, at dawn on July 8, the
army fired into a crowd of pro-Morsi protesters outside
the Republican Guard Officers Club.
Both sides accuse each other of shooting first.
51 people were killed.
[GUNFIRE]
ARIS ROUSSINOS: International human rights groups have
condemned the Egyptian army for the massacre.
Two years ago, Egyptians were filled with hope for their new
democratic future.
But now the country is divided between two opposing sides
willing to fight and die for power, and no one knows how
the cycle of violence will end.
[WEEPING]