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“Rebel” Moves On In Egypt

By Countercurrents.org

26 June, 2013
Countercurrents.org

Rebel

'Rebel' reaches Cairo 's underground (Photo: Mayada Wadnomiry)

"The demand for Egyptian president Morsi to step down is indisputable," a spokesman for the 'Students of 30 June' movement said on June 25, 2013. "We have always adopted the motto, 'The revolution is still ongoing'," the spokesman stated.

Media reports on recent political developments in Egypt said:

The Students of 30 June consists of more than ten university representatives from state- and private-owned universities. The alliance includes students of the Socialist Popular alliance Party, the Leftist Student Union of the American University in Cairo and the Revolutionary Movement of the British University in Cairo .

The alliance urged all students to participate in upcoming 30 June anti-Morsi protests.

The spokesman stated the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood had lost ground in Egyptian universities' student union elections.

The alliance canceled propaganda that there are interventions by "remnants" of the Mubarak regime, who they described as "enemies of the revolution and the Egyptian people." They also reject military intervention in domestic politics, calling instead for a "national unity government" to oversee snap presidential elections.

According to the spokesman, "new policies that take the side of the poor" should be drafted.

Student protesters, according to the spokesman, will demand students' rights and will not chant or hold flags of any political party. They will hold the pictures of those who died protesting under the Mubarak, the military and the Morsi regimes.

A student representative stated that 30 June was a step aimed at stopping the corruption at universities and demanding the dismissal of the minister of higher education.

"It will be their 'worst of luck' if they don't heed our demands," he warned. He stated that if the demands were not met, students would escalate and organize a "civil disobedience" campaign when the new school year started.

The students described the current regime as "fascist and dictatorial," equating it to the regime of Mubarak and to military rule, which followed Mubarak's ouster.

The student alliance is the latest to join the 'Rebel' protests. Egyptian opposition umbrella group the National salvation front (NSF) has also joined 'Rebel' campaign.

'Rebel' is a signature drive that aims to collect 15 million signatures to outnumber the roughly 13.2 million Morsi garnered in last year's polls. The campaign said last week it had already reached its target of 15 million signatures.

'Rebel' is scheduled for 30 June, which marks the end of Morsi's first year as president, when demonstrators plan to march to the Presidential Palace and call for snap elections. 

The campaign accuses Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood, of "failing to implement policies to improve the life of ordinary people," citing Egypt 's increasingly dire economic situation.

The 'Rebel' campaign was initiated last May. It is supported by the National Salvation Front (NSF), Egypt 's most comprehensive opposition umbrella group.

The June 30 anti-Morsi protests intend to demand early presidential elections as anti-Muslim Brotherhood sentiment grows amid deepening political polarization and an economic crisis the current government is accused of failing to resolve.

Pro-Morsi Islamists, on the other hand, plan to start a rival sit-in on 28 June.

'Rebel' banned on state media

Campaigners claim that they have been banned from speaking on state television and radio by pro-Brotherhood information minister.

The anti-Morsi signature drive, which has taken centre stage in advance of the upcoming 30 June protests, has denied any connection with leaflets currently being circulated on Cairo 's streets about planned events on the day.

Campaigners claimed radio presenter Bahaa El-Malky has been suspended from work after he had hosted a Rebel member on his program to talk about the run-up to the 30 June street protests.

Army secures media hub

The military began securing Cairo 's Media Production City (MPC) on June 25 ahead of mass protests on 30 June.

The MPC, a satellite city on the outskirts of Cairo , is home to most private Egyptian television and radio stations.

It should be mentioned that Salafist preacher Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail called in last December to demonstrate to demand the "purge" of Egyptian mainstream media. Islamists, supported by Abu-Ismail, protested at the MPC again in March, assaulting several media personalities as they demonstrated against a perceived "anti-Islamist bias" in Egypt 's media.

State media blast Muslim Brotherhood 'interference'

Egyptian state television employees are gathering votes calling for the dismissal of presidential media representative Abdel-Aziz accusing him of "interfering with editorial policy," Amer El-Wakil, news editor at the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (Maspero).

Al-Wakil said on private-owned satellite television channel ONtv that Abdel-Aziz, who represents the presidency for media affairs, had demanded last Friday that coverage of upcoming protests should be restricted to pro-government rallies, while ignoring planned opposition protests against President Mohamed Morsi.

Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist demonstrators gathered in a massive rally on Friday to support the president against expected mass protests slated for next week. The event received generous coverage on Egyptian television while parallel counter-rallies by the opposition were largely ignored.

Maspero employees attempted to explain to Abdel-Aziz that opposition protests, too, especially one held at the Ministry of Defense, must also be covered, according to El-Wakil. He added, however, that he had been snubbed by Abdel-Aziz, who insisted that his initial instructions be followed.

El-Wakil said that the head of news at Maspero did not come to work on Saturday to protest alleged interference by the presidency.

Earlier, state-owned daily Al-Akhbar's chief editor, Mohamed Hassan El-Banna, criticized the Muslim Brotherhood saying he had been contacted by one of the group's members who had condemned the paper's coverage.

"Some imagined that Al-Akhbar, as a newspaper falling under the auspices of the government ... will say 'Amen' to whatever the government says and conceal facts and information about the regime, deceiving its readers," El-Banna said, defiantly stating the impossibility of this scenario.

The Muslim Brotherhood and presidency are accused by Egypt 's opposition of trying to wrest control of Egyptian state institutions in an attempt to impose single-party rule like its predecessor, ousted president Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party.

Activists take 'Rebel' drive underground

Anti-government 'Rebel' campaign is receiving warm welcome from Cairo metro passengers.

On June 25, 2013, members of the Tamarod ('Rebel') petition campaign received a warm reception from passengers on the platform of a Cairo metro station.

Members of the campaign holding petition papers and anti-Morsi posters were joined by 50 passengers who started chanting along.

Yasser Samahi, 35, stock exchange employee, said he signed the 'Rebel' petition when it was first launched, believes Morsi has neglected Egypt 's deteriorating economic conditions and focused only on establishing a "Brotherhood regime."

Earlier this week, Egyptian defense minister Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi declared that the military would intervene to stop the nation from entering a "dark tunnel" of violence and internecine strife.

 

 

 

 




 

 


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