Egypt eases up on protesters A supporter of Mohamed Mursi protests in Cairo: Police will no longer try to forcefully clear the sit-ins. Egypt's new rulers showed the first signs of responding to Western pressure for restraint, pulling back from threats to storm Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins in Cairo. Police said that rather than immediately trying to use force to clear the sit-ins, swollen to tens of thousands of people, they would lay siege to them within 48 hours. The timing suggested it was a concession in return for the West's strongest backing yet for the military coup that deposed Mohamed Mursi, Egypt's first elected leader. US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday the Egyptian army had acted to "restore democracy." Egyptian police said they would surround the sit-ins being staged in the capital, allowing people out but not in - promising a slower but less violent resolution to the impasse. The US urged restraint after previous attempts to clear the protests led to more than 130 deaths. In turn, Egypt's interim vice-president Mohamed ElBaradei said he wanted the violence to end.