Mohammed Nouhan / AP
Families and supporters of those accused of soccer violence from the Port Said soccer club react to the announcement of death sentences for 21 fans.
By Yusri Mohamed and Yasmine Saleh, Reuters
PORT SAID/CAIRO - Twenty-two people were killed in Egypt Saturday in violence that erupted after protesters took to the streets, angry that a court had?sentenced 21 people to death?over?a soccer disaster, state television said.?
More than 200 people were also injured in the clashes in Port Said, northeast of Egypt's capital, state television reported, citing the Health Ministry.?
Earlier Saturday a court sentenced 21 men, most of them from Port Said, to death for involvement in the disaster in the city's soccer stadium on February 1, 2012. Many spectators were crushed and witnesses saw some thrown off balconies after the match between Cairo's Al Ahly and local team al-Masri. Many of those killed were from the visiting team's supporters.
Armored vehicles and military police were deployed on the streets of the Mediterranean city Saturday.
The state news agency quoted a general as saying the military was sent to "establish calm and stability in Port Said and to protect public institutions."
And an official from the authority that controls Egypt's Suez Canal said it was not affected.
"Shipping movement through the Suez Canal is regular and is going ahead positively," canal spokesman Tarek Hassanein told Reuters, adding 44 ships had entered the canal so far on Saturday.
Amr Abdallah Dalsh / Reuters
Al Ahly fans, also known as "Ultras,
However, witnesses reported that operations at Port Said's port were halted when staff said they would suspend work due to the clashes. Other factories and workplaces closed for the day.
One witness reported that the army, which was deployed to Port Said, at the northern end of the canal, had sent troops to surround the branch office of the canal authority in the city.
The army deployed Friday at the southern end of the canal after violence there.
Security sources said the latest deaths brought to 20 the number killed in three days of violence, and hundreds have been injured.
The unrest began with rallies to mark the second anniversary of the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in a revolution which the protesters accuse current President Mohammed Morsi and his Islamist allies of betraying.
The schism is hindering efforts by Morsi, elected in June, to revive an economy in crisis and reverse a plunge in Egypt's currency by enticing back investors and tourists.
In Port Said Saturday, residents rampaged through the streets in anger that people from their city had been blamed for the stadium disaster.
Gunshots were reported near the prison where most of the convicted men are being held.
One security source reported 11 killed in the violence, while two other sources put Saturday's toll at 12. At least two of the dead were policemen.
A witness said some men stormed a police station.
'Bread, freedom and social justice'
Meanwhile, thousands took to the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and other cities on Friday to protest against what they call the authoritarianism of Morsi's rule.
"We want to change the president and the government. We are tired of this regime. Nothing has changed," said Mahmoud Suleiman, 22, in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the cauldron of the 2011 revolt. Nearby, youths hurled stones at police early on Saturday.
"The protests will continue until we realize all the demands of the revolution - bread, freedom and social justice," said Ahmed Salama, 28, a protester camped out with dozens of others in Tahrir.
Morsi's supporters say their critics are ignoring democratic principles, after elections swept the Islamists to office.
The president was due to meet later on Saturday with the National Defence Council, which includes senior ministers and security officials, to discuss the violence.
Unrest has been stoked by Morsi's decision to fast-track an Islamist-tinged constitution rejected by his opponents.
Inspired by the popular uprising in Tunisia, Egypt's revolution spurred further revolts across the Arab world. But the sense of common purpose that united Egyptians two years ago has given way to internal strife that triggered bloody street battles last month.
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