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.
