The Muslim Brotherhood said Thursday that
nothing will stop its "glorious revolution" in
Egypt -- not even the deaths of more than 500
people killed in the country's bloodiest day in
recent history. "We will continue our sit-ins and demonstrations all
over the country until democracy and the legitimate
rule are restored in Egypt," said Essam Elerian, a
senior member of the Islamist movement. Egypt's short-lived experiment with democracy
took a gruesome turn a day earlier, culminating in
mass carnage and a return to the repressive state of
emergency that had gripped the country for 30
years. The Egyptian Health Ministry said at least 525
people died and more than 3,700 were injured
Wednesday in clashes that began when security
forces moved in to break up protesters
demonstrating in support of ousted President
Mohamed Morsy. Among the dead were 43 police officers, the interior ministry said.
Watson: Egypt's society starting to fray
Egypt: Tear gas, intimidation and death
Journalist: We must stop the bloodshed The death toll could rise. On Thursday, Muslim
Brotherhood officials displayed at least 100 bodies,
wrapped in white, blood-stained sheets, at the
Emam Mosque in Cairo, some of the 500 people the
group said were brought to the mosque after the
violence. The Muslim Brotherhood and other activists on the
ground told CNN those bodies had not yet been
registered with authorities. While Egypt's interim government said the violence
began after protesters violently resisted their
peaceful efforts to disperse pro-Morsy sit-ins,
demonstrators said security forces had staged a
"full-on assault." CNN journalists on the ground said many of those
injured or killed were unarmed. It was Egypt's
bloodiest day since the 2011 revolution to oust
Morsy's predecessor, Hosni Mubarak. The shocking violence brought criticism from
countries around the world and threatened to
further destabilize Egypt's already precarious
economy and political situation. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
called the violence "deplorable" and said it was "a
serious blow to reconciliation and the Egyptian
people's hopes for a transition towards democracy
and inclusion." An administration official said the United States was
considering canceling next month's planned
biennial military training exercise with Egyptian
forces. Denmark suspended economic aid to the country.
China urged restraint. Germany, Italy, France and
other nations summoned Egypt's ambassadors to
their nations to express dismay over the violence.