Muslim Brotherhood Members Storm University of London and Take Over Lecture Hall (Video)
by, Robin De Peyer | The London Evening Standard
A guest lecture at a London university was abandoned when protesters backing Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood chased the speaker from the stage.
Speaker Mohamed El-Nabawy had to be ushered off stage by security
guards when around 30 demonstrators stormed a lecture theatre at
Bloomsbury’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), which is
part of the University of London.
They were said to have targeted the public discussion, focusing on
the challenges facing Egypt, because of Mr El-Nabawy’s ties to the
Tamarod group which opposed ex President Mohammed Morsi.
The movement played a key role in the ousting of Muslim Brotherhood-backed Morsi in June this year.
Footage which has emerged online shows the chaotic scenes as
chanting demonstrators take control of the lecture theatre and guests
are led to safety by security guards.
A spokesman for the university’s Palestinian Society, which
organised the event, said: “While we fully respect, and understand, the
highly-charged context of any discussion on contemporary Egyptian
politics, we believe that the disruptions pre-empted any possibility of
fruitful exchange.
“We apologise to our guests for any distress these events may have
caused, and thank the SOAS staff for their cooperation and support.”
The society blamed members of the public who are not affiliated with
SOAS for the disruption at the event, which was held last month.
No arrangements for the lecture to be rescheduled have yet been made.
Scotland Yard said there was no record of police attending the demonstration.
