(AFP PHOTO/KHALED KAMEL)
The Anti-Coup Alliance announced intentions to participate in a Tuesday “million man march” in support of the “independence of the judiciary” on Saturday, continuing a long string of marches and protests following Morsi’s ouster and the dispersal of pro-Morsi sit-ins amid a security crackdown.
The group denounced “blatant hostility waged by the authorities of the coup against the honourable judges of Egypt,” accusing the interim government of “crudely intervening” in the affairs of the judiciary.
The statement issued by the Anti-Coup Alliance, which has called for demonstrations in support of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, pointed to the legal issues facing members of the Judges for Egypt movement and its spokesman Waleed Sharaby, who is standing disciplinary trial for allegedly insulting judges and expressing political views, which is prohibited for practicing judges.
The group accused Minister of Justice Adel Abdel Hameed and Chairman of the Judges Club Ahmed Al-Zend for supporting a crackdown on the independence of Egypt’s judiciary. The Anti-Coup Alliance added that the trial of Muslim Brotherhood leadership including Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie and his deputies Khairat El-Shater and Rashad Bayoumi, investigating the killing of protesters at the group’s headquarters on 30 June, was politically motivated and was “surrounded by many question marks.”
The group’s statement came one day after pro-Morsi Friday demonstrations under the banner “Suez persistence path to Jerusalem”, in which clashes took place in Giza, Alexandria, and Suez. The Anti-Coup Alliance accused the “coup authorities” of coordinating with Israeli government officials following Morsi’s ouster and called for a week of “persistence” demonstrations.
The pro-Morsi alliance, which is supported by the Muslim Brotherhood and other factions calling for the ousted president’s return, also called for “huge” demonstrations scheduled for Wednesday 4 November “against the murderous military coup.”
