Pro-Morsi protesters rally against army coup
Supporters of Egypt’s former president Mohammed Morsi are rallying to express their outrage at his overthrow by the army and to reject a planned interim government.
The National Coalition in Support of Legitimacy is calling on the Egyptian people “to take to the streets and mobilise peacefully” after Friday prayers “to say ‘no’ to military detentions”.
The call was issued at a news conference at a mosque in suburban Cairo where Morsi supporters have staged a sit-in since last week.
The Egyptian armed forces have said they would not take arbitrary measures against any political group and would guarantee the right to protest, as long as demonstrations did not threaten national security.
Demonstrators pleading with soldiers: “you have to side with us against (General) Sisi! Egypt must remain an Islamic country!”
— Jonathan Rugman (@jrug) July 5, 2013
Freedom of expression
In a statement on Facebook the army command said: “Wisdom, true nationalism and constructive human values that all religions have called for, require us now to avoid taking any exceptional or arbitrary measures against any faction or political current.
“Peaceful protest and freedom of expression are rights guaranteed to everyone, which Egyptians have earned as one of the most important gains of their glorious revolution,” it said.
“Excessive use of this right without reason could carry some negative implications, including blocking roads, delaying public benefits and destroying institutions, posing a threat to social peace, the national interest and damaging the security and economy in our precious Egypt.”