The 6 April Youth Movement organised a press conference at the Lawyers Syndicate and a symbolic protest in front of the Press Syndicate on Sunday on the sixth anniversary of the movement’s founding.
The two fronts of the 6 April movement coordinated to organise the anniversary but had previously clarified that they are not rejoining forces.
During the press conference, 6 April general coordinator Amr Aly said that 6 April is in favour of a law that protects the right to protest. Aly added that the group will continue to seek a united democratic front.
Mohamed Youssef, member of the political bureau of the Democratic Front, added: “We are here to prove that we have a political vision and that we are capable of more than just protesting.”
Arabic Network of Human Rights Information lawyer Gamal Eid spoke at the press conference to congratulate the movement on their anniversary; he went on to say that the integrity of 6 April “cannot be questioned” and that “no one can stand in front of the will of the youth”.
At the protest, the group chanted against military rule and the Muslim Brotherhood. They held a wooden cage painted in army colours, which they broke at the end of the protest and released white doves.
6 April leader Zizo Abdo thanked the Freedoms Committee at the Lawyers Syndicate for being the only syndicate that had agreed to host the press conference. He also announced that the movement had decided to call off marching in downtown Cairo for security reasons.
The 6 April Youth Movement was founded in 2008 to support the Mahalla workers and their demands, mobilising them to hold a strike.
The movement was officially divided into two fronts in April 2011 as a result of conflicts over management.
The youth movement was one of the main groups calling for protests on 25 January 2011. The group’s name refers to the date of the first protest the group had called for.
