Egyptian state-run and privately-owned newspapers have labeled the 30 June protests against President Mohamed Morsy a new revolution against him and his group, the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Freedom and Justice Party’s newspaper, meanwhile, focused its coverage on a massive sit-in by the President’s Islamist supporters at Rabaa al-Adaweya Square in Nasr City, Cairo.
Privately-owned al-Shorouk and the pan-Arab, London-based Asharq al-Awsat said that the demonstrations were the largest in the country's history.
“Egypt in the Squares, the World Watches,” read the main headline on Asharq al-Awsat. The paper quoted a military source who said that the armed forces would protect the people and would never allow “civil war.”
“A Revolution against the Brotherhood Draws Millions,” was the main headline of al-Hayat, another London-based newspaper, with a photo showing enormous opposition protests outside the Ettehadiya Presidential Palace.
In an attempt to include demonstrations held by both Morsy supporters and opponents, state-run al-Ahram's front page featured a photo of massive rallies in Tahrir Square.
"Millions chant: Long Live Egypt," reads the headline. It also included a photo of a bearded protester crying at the pro-Morsy rally in Rabaa al-Adweya, as well as another one showing unveiled women protesting outside the Ettehadiya.
In its headline, Al-Akhbar, another state-owned press organization, described the demonstrations as “The Volcano of Anger Erupting in the Face of the President and the Brotherhood.”
In a large font title stretching across the main page, it quoted a military source who said that the protests were “the largest in Egypt’s history.” The same newspaper reported that the president’s supporters numbered around 25,000.
Photos published by al-Watan, another private newspaper, showed huge opposition protests. "We are Legitimacy," its headline proclaims. The paper reported that millions went to the squares in various governorates.
"The People Demand the Fall of the Brotherhood," reads the headline of al-Shorouk, which claimed anti-regime demonstrators numbered 17 million. However, the Wafd Party newspaper set the mark at 22 million. “The People Retrieve their Revolution,” reads the headline in the Wafd newspaper.
Al-Tahrir, a newspaper affiliated with revolutionary groups, headlined its front page with “Long Live the People,” “Millions of Egyptians Ousted the Brotherhood in Egypt’s Squares,” and “A Nation vs. a Group.”
"Nowhere to Run, Morsy," reads the headline in Al-Dostour, a paper often critical of President Morsy. “Brotherhood Leaders in a Group Escape Abroad,” reads another headline, without providing further details.
The Freedom and Justice Party newspaper ignored anti-Morsy rallies in its major headlines. "The Sit-in at Rabaa continues," read its headline. A member of an Islamist alliance that advocates for the defense of Morsy's legitimacy told the paper that "the opposition is disillusioned and cannot turn against the president."
"Thousands March from Tahrir to Ettehadiya, a New Case of Sexual Harassment reported," reads a smaller headline.
