In a statement made ahead of the third anniversary of the 25 January Revolution, the Muslim Brotherhood called on Egyptians to “unite in selfless devotion to the homeland, to restore the spirit of the January 25 Revolution.”
In a Monday speech, Minister of Interior Mohamed Ibrahim said the Muslim Brotherhood planned to hold protests to disrupt anniversary celebrations, and these protests would be met with heavy force within the full extent of the new Protest Law. Despite the minister’s warning, the Muslim Brotherhood’s statement did not specifically call on its supporters to protest or assemble.
Much of the statement accused the military, SCAF, and judiciary of derailing the original goals of the revolution, admitting that the Muslim Brotherhood made a mistake aligning itself with SCAF in the power vacuum left by the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak.
“Everyone made mistakes. We cannot exonerate ourselves of the mistake we made when we trusted the military council (SCAF),” read the statement. “It did not occur to us that there could be a loyal Egyptian willing to burn his homeland and kill his people in order to achieve his own dream and satisfy his lust for power.”
The Brotherhood urged Egyptians to come together and return to the goals of the 25 January Revolution.
“We must restore the spirit of unity and self-denial, and pledge to continue our Revolution, in order to achieve our goals: bread, freedom, social justice and human dignity,” read the statement.
Earlier this week, Ibrahim called on Egyptians to assemble in the city squares on Saturday to celebrate the anniversary. Security will be heightened, said the minister, including checkpoints, rapid response teams, and additional security personnel at public buildings.
