Calls for social justice protest on Friday in Egypt

Egyptian protesters

Several political parties and groups in Egypt announced that the social justice protest is planned for this Friday, 19 October 2012. The mass demonstration will be held under the slogan “Egypt for all Egyptians” and will demand the social justice and equality, representative Constitution and respect for human rights.

Among the parties and groups expecting to participate in the Friday demonstration “Egypt for all Egyptians” are National Association for Change, Al-Tagammu Party, Social Democratic Party, Constitution Party, Popular Socialist Alliance, Egyptian Communist Party, Democratic Front Party, Free Egyptians Party, Popular Current, Conference Party, Revolutionary Socialists, We Are All Mina Daniel movement, The April 6 Democratic Front, Maspero Youth Union and other parties and groups along with some workers, professional and trade unions as well.

The activists calling for the mass demonstrations on Friday announced about those plans during their press conference today, on 16 October. The stated that three marches are planned to head to Tahrir Square in Cairo following the Friday afternoon prayers. They will start in Downtown Cairo, such as iconic Mostafa Mahmoud street.

There also two other marches planned on Friday evening. One of them is expected to head from Tahrir Square to the headquarters of Egypt’s Shura Council (Upper House) where the Constituent Assembly tasked with the writing of the new Constitution meet for its work and discussions. This march will demand the changes in the future Constitution and the “representative document” as the Egyptian Constitution should represent the entire society and all its groups and shouldn’t be dominated by some political powers and parties. The second evening march will head to the Presidential Palace in Cairo to demand social justice from President Mohamed Morsy and his authorities.

The activists also stated they oppose the Islamist domination of the current Constituent Assembly and as the Egyptian citizens they demand the Constitution which will represent all Egyptians and which will ensure their rights and grant them freedoms.

Well known and prominent Egyptian activist Ahmed Harara, who lost both of his eyes during the 

Egyptian Constitution

Revolution and the Mohamed Mahmoud clashes in Cairo and who represents now the disabled citizens and their rights in the National Council for Human Rights in Egypt also declared the activists are condemning the recent attacks against the demonstrators with the special needs. He also added that the future Constitution should represent the people with special needs and disabilities too and guarantee them protecting of their rights.

We would remind here that on Sunday, 14 October, the presidential guards attacked and dispersed the peaceful demonstrators during their sit-in in front of Presidential Palace. The protesters with the special needs gathered to express their grievances and called for protecting their rights. The clashes and violence against them provoked the harsh criticism.

The activists and political figures who are expected to participate in a Friday rally announced they cannot accept the current situation in the country when a specific political force is trying to dominate all the fields and key positions of Egyptian politics and to control all the state processes. It is unacceptable if other political forces would be marginalized or if even the force would be used against them, as it was during the last Friday demonstrations, stated the activists.

Egypt's last Friday's protests and clashes

It’s worth mentioning here that last Friday demonstrations faced the violent clashes between the protesters and the supporters of Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsy. The Friday protests in Egypt left more than hundred people injured after the violent clashes happened. The country’s leftist and liberal forces have initially called for the demonstration in attempt to protest what they call Morsy’s failure to deliver on his promises after the first 100 days in office. But the Muslim Brotherhood leaders issued the call for the protests against the verdict in the Battle Of The Camels trial at the same place and on the same day just in the last minute. That caused the clashes after supporters of Egyptian President and Muslim Brotherhood reportedly started to attack the liberal protesters. Muslim Brotherhood’s officials in their turn denied their group’s responsibility for the Friday clashes and claimed their supporters were attacked by the thugs.

 

Thus the upcoming Friday protest under the slogan “Egypt is for all Egyptians” is planned to deliver the calls and demands of the citizens for the equality, representative Constitution and respect for their rights.