The Tamarod movement, which had spearheaded the protests that led to the July 3 ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi, has called on Egyptians to take to the streets nationwide on Sunday to mark the 40th anniversary of a military victory over Israel to regain the Sinai Peninsula.
"The unity of the people and the army was central to the victory," Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, the group's political communication officer, said in a press conference on Saturday.
"Forty years after the victory, Egyptians find themselves in almost the same situation."
Tamarod's invitation for Egyptians to take to the streets to mark the military victory comes hard upon the heels of a similar call by pro-Morsi's backers for supporters to converge on central Cairo's Tahrir Square to mark the event.
This ushers in fears that the day can turn violent.
Protests by supporters of the deposed president on Friday ended in clashes with Morsi's opponents in different provinces, leaving seven people dead and scores of other people injured.
Egyptian authorities have closed down Tahrir Square and the vicinity of the Ittihadiya presidential palace until Monday due to "the ceremonies scheduled to take place… on the occasion of the anniversary of the October 6 War" against Israel.
Tahrir Square, the epicenter of a 2011 uprising that ousted long-serving president Hosni Mubarak, has been a no-go area for Morsi supporters since June 28.
Abdel Aziz urged Egyptians to take to the streets and assemble on squares across Egypt to complete their revolution and express support for the army.
"We call on everybody to be present to express support for the objectives of the Egyptian revolution and the transitional roadmap, which will usher in a constitution that will reflect the desires of the people," Abdel-Aziz said.
The Egyptian military ousted democratically-elected Morsi on July 3, following mass protests against his administration.
Morsi's ouster, however, has sent the country into a state of turmoil, with supporters of the deposed president refuse to budge from demands for his reinstatement.
Reporting by Amr Emam
englishnews@aa.com.tr
