The parliamentary debate over the Port Said football massacre turned into an exchange of insults between liberal and Islamist deputies, writes Gamal Essam El-Din The two-day debate in the People's Assembly about the Ahli-Masri football tragedy on 1 February concluded on a bitter note. Islamist deputies, mostly belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), used the occasion to attack liberal deputies, private satellite television channels and youth revolutionary movements. The acrimonious debate opened on Monday when the assembly reviewed a 17-page report prepared by a fact-finding committee formed two weeks ago to investigate events leading to the football stadium massacre in Port Said which left 74 dead and more than 1,000 injured. The report put the blame for the calamity on the shoulders of the security apparatus, Al-Masri football club and the Port Said Stadium governing body. The 17-page preliminary report revealed that the security apparatus had facilitated the tragedy that occurred when fans stormed the stadium following a match between local Al-Masri club and Al-Ahli. "Security forces stood idly by when crowds stormed the stadium, though many of them were criminals armed with knives and cudgels and fireworks," it said. Police at the stadium were also criticised for downplaying the potential for violence even as fans sensing an impending riot left the stadium. According to the report, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) failed to apply international regulations set by FIFA on measures needed to secure a match. The report pointed out that EFA failed to search people entering the stadium, many of whom were armed, and that "while just 12,000 tickets were sold, 18,000 were in the stadium". The management of the Port Said Stadium was also blamed for contravening FIFA regulations by sealing exits from the stadium. The report conspicuously omitted any mention of political factors that might have contributed to the violence, merely mentioning that "the climate of political tension in Egypt and terrorist threats played a role in the massacre." Ashraf Thabet, deputy parliamentary speaker and chairman of the fact-finding committee, lashed out at private television channels, accusing them of fanning fanaticism among football fans. "The presenters of sport programmes on these channels sow division among football clubs instead of analysing matches," he said. Thabet also denounced Facebook as "a tool for the 'Ultras' that spread campaigns of hate and revenge between clubs." The mysterious third party blamed for much of the recent unrest in Egypt was once again cited by many MPs who detected a "hidden hand" behind the violence. The FJP's parliamentary spokesman Hussein Ibrahim intoned that "the country's intelligence agencies must provide parliament with all the details they collect about the incident". "The chairmen of the General Intelligence and the National Security Apparatus must be summoned to testify before the committee about what happened," continued Ibrahim. "They also must tell us of the exact whereabouts of symbols of the former regime before and after the Port Said match." Wahid Abdel-Meguid, a political analyst with Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, blamed the army for not safeguarding the match. "The question is why the army, which has participated in safeguarding several previous football matches, refrained from doing so this time," said Abdel-Meguid. He concluded that "the army bears the greatest political responsibility for the tragic events in Port Said." Responding to Abdel-Meguid, Thabet said "the army was absent from the match because the Interior Ministry had not officially requested its help." When liberal MPs were given the floor they focussed on attacking the army and SCAF. Ziad El-Oleimi, a member of the Egyptian Socialist Democratic Party, said "the events in Port Said serve the interests of SCAF giving it an excuse to stay in power for a longer period". El-Oleimi also argued that "it is a big mistake that the report of the fact-finding committee brands the Ultras as thugs". "The Ultras played a large role in supporting the 25 January Revolution in its early days, protecting it against the armed attacks of Mubarak's supporters." Responding, Thabet said "the report never described the Ultras as thugs but said they were manipulated by some forces and there should be a way to contain fanaticism at football matches." Free Egyptians Party MP Mohamed Abu Hamed clashed with assembly speaker Saad El-Katatni when he said he would lead a protest march in support of the Ultras. "Have you acquired a monopoly on mobilising the Ultras?" shouted El-Katatni, a comment that encouraged MPs from the FJP to accuse Abu Hamed of inciting violence. One FJP deputy told El-Katatni that "Abu Hamed told Al-Ahram newspaper that the only legitimacy in this country is the legitimacy of Tahrir Square which is an insult to the assembly." Abu Hamed corrected the MP, pointing out that what he actually said was that the legitimacy of Tahrir Square was durable while that of the People's Assembly was short-term. Abul-Ezz El-Hariri, a leftist deputy from the Revolution Continues bloc said the army and police were largely to blame for the deaths in the stadium and that "army officials should be questioned over their negligence". FJP MP Ibrahim Abu Ouf denounced opposition deputies who appeared on private television channels and announced chillingly that "there is a pressing need to impose discipline on television channels". Ouf also demanded that "youth revolutionary movements such as 6 April and Kifaya [Enough] become political parties" in order to prevent them "from spreading chaos in society". FJP deputy Mohamed El-Saghir asked "if Abu Hamed wants to be a Tahrir Square hero" why he did not resign his parliamentary seat. On Tuesday a special parliamentary committee questioned Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim about the security measures in place for the Port Said football match. Essam Sultan, deputy chairman of the Islamist Wasat Party and a member of the committee, told journalists that "the committee reviewed its findings about the massacre and asked the minister whether security officials cooperated with former deputies of ousted president Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party in masterminding the massacre". "If it is the case that the Interior Ministry was negligent in safeguarding the Port Said football match the minister should face political and criminal charges," said Sultan. Thabet indicated that there had been tension between the fans before the match. "Both ultras and thugs attacked Al-Ahli fans and this is part of Ultras' culture," Thabet said.
