Marches will be held on Friday to protest the violent crackdown on a sit-in held by disabled people in front of the presidential palace in Cairo and the violent encounter between brotherhood supporters and protesters critical of the president last week.
Various political groups are participating in the marches, as well as several parties demanding fairer representation within the Constituent Assembly, which activists such as Ahmed Harara see as being dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood.
The marches were announced on Tuesday during a press conference held by a cross-section of the political scene, including parties such as Al-Dostour and members of the Popular Current. The march will call for greater social justice, institutional reforms and fair representation within the Constituent Assembly.
Over 15 different political groups and parties plan to attend, including prominent parties such as Al-Dostour, the Social Democratic Party and the Free Egyptians Party. Groups such as the Maspero Youth Union, We Are All Mina Daniel Movement and the Independent Federation of Trade Union will also be attending.
There will be three marches making their way to Tahrir square after midday prayers; one beginning at the Mostafa Mahmoud Mosque in Mohandeseen, one in Shubra and one in Sayyeda Zeinab. In the evening, protesters will march in two separate groups to the Shura council headquarters on Qasr Al-Eini and the Abdeen palace.
Hesham Akram, the former deputy head for the Justice Party (which has now merged with Al-Dostour Party), said in light of recent events, it is important to keep Tahrir a place where every Egyptian can air their grievances. “The Brotherhood has tried to exploit Tahrir,” he said, “but it needs to be a place where people should be able to go to without being harassed.”
Clashes last week Friday between the brotherhood supporters and protesters generated a lot of resistance from parties such as Al-Dostour. Gameela Ismail, one of Al-Dostour’s co-founders speaking on behalf of the party at Tuesday’s conference, rejected “the forced restrictions on politics,” through the marginalisation of political players and through the use of “terror and violence.”
“It is quite ridiculous that people were stoned by members of the Brotherhood as if we were back in medieval times,” Akram said. Counting on the brotherhood to learn from their mistakes, He is confident the protest will be peaceful. “It will be more like 25 January, like the revolution days.”
