Beirut, February 21: The son of Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi, Seif al-Islam, has rejected reports that more than 250 people have been killed in the ongoing unrest in the country.
In a televised speech on Sunday, Seif al-Islam said protesters attacked the roadblocks in Benghazi because they were furious, and 84 people were killed since the onset of massive demonstrations six days ago, Xinhua reported.
Earlier on Sunday, security forces opened fire on thousands of people who had gathered to mourn for those killed on Saturday clashes in the eastern city of Benghazi.
Seif al-Islam also said that dozens of protesters were arrested, including some campaigners, and the unrest was a plot against Libya orchestrated by foreign elements in the country.
Gaddafi’s 36-year-old son further rejected widespread speculations that Libya may be the next country after Tunisia and Egypt to see popular revolution.
He emphasized that Libya is different from the two other African states and any separation will make the country fall back to the situation 60 or 70 years ago.
Seif al-Islam also warned of civil war in Libya and denied reports that his father has left the country for Venezuela.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Benghazi since last week, calling for the ouster of the 68-year-old Gaddafi, who has been in office since September 1969.
Meanwhile, the European Union on Sunday condemned in the strongest possible terms the Libyan governments’ bloody crackdown against pro-democracy protesters and urged an end to the violence.
“We condemn the repression against peaceful demonstrators and deplore the violence and the death of civilians,” said a statement issued after a meeting of European foreign ministers.
——–Agencies