(Photo By: Nouran El-Behairy)
President Mohamed Morsi appeared at the Egyptian Engineering Association’s celebrations of Egyptian Engineers’ Day on Saturday. The event took place at Al-Azhar Conference Centre in Cairo amid a heavy security presence.
The Al-Dostour Party called on Egyptian engineers to participate in a protest rejecting President Morsi’s appearance at the celebration.
A few protesters gathered in front of the conference centre rejecting the association’s invitation to Morsi, who was an engineer before becoming involved in politics.
They held banners accusing Morsi of killing protesters and holding him responsible for deteriorating economic and political situation in the country.
“We reject honouring a president whom we consider illegitimate” said Refaat Al-Bayoumi, a founding member of the Engineering Association’s Independence Current.
He added that engineers are protesting against the president and the association’s board, members who belong to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Members of the Association’s Independence Current, the Al-Dostour Party, the Al-Tayar Al-Shaaby, and non-partisan engineers participated in the protest.
“Morsi is here to be honoured by the association and to give a speech, I’m wondering what he’s being honoured for,” said Nehal Fathi, a founding member of the Al-Dostour Party and an engineer.
She added that some members of the association were not invited to the celebration: “The chairman of the association belongs to the Brotherhood and so do those who are being honoured.”
The celebration included congratulating twenty top engineering graduates, remembering four deaths, and expressing support for seventeen injured people, according to Mahmoud Hassan, deputy chairman of the association.
Prime Minister Hesham Qandil, high-ranking government officials, and representatives of several engineering companies were invited to attend the celebration.
