Unrest in Egypt

Members of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said Thursday that they would continue protests after hundreds of people were killed in unrest following police and military forces breaking up protest camps on Wednesday.

Despite assurances that the military would proceed "step by step" security forces have instead used massive force to clear the protest camps of Morsi supporters. By the end of the day, the official death toll stood at 500 people.

Protesters and security forces clashed violently in the streets of Cairo. According to the protesters, police used tear gas and live ammunition. The Muslim Brotherhood has announced more protests for Friday.

Security forces apparently did not even spare the children and elderly people in the two protest camps in front of the Rabaa-al-Adawiya mosque and on Al-Nahda Square. There are reports of several thousand injured protesters.

Police and military staff have cordoned off Cairo airport as a precautionary measure, according to an airport spokesman. Several flights were delayed, as passengers could not get through the roadblocks.

The situation in the protest camp near the mosque was particularly precarious. Eyewitnesses say security forces used extreme violence against demonstrators. They locked the entrances to the camp shutting off access to ambulances.

Since Morsi was ousted by the military on July 3, pro-Morsi supporters from the Muslim Brotherhood have been calling for his reinstatement. They insist he is the true Egyptian leader and have turned down any talks with the transition government.

The military has used bulldozers and tanks to break down the barriers erected by the camp's protesters, facing fierce resistance by the Islamists there. 43 policemen were killed, according to official numbers.

There were also violent clashes in other Egyptian cities, like Assuan, Luxor and in Sohag, where protesters set fire to a Coptic church. Egypt is home to eight million Coptic Christians, most of whom are opposed to Morsi and his Islamist supporters.

The European Union is worried about the developments in Egypt. "Violence is not the answer," a spokesperson of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said. "We ask both sides to exercise restraint." German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle called on both parties to return to the dialog.