CAIRO (AA) – Supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi started their rallies in Cairo and Giza following the Friday weekly prayers to denounce the overthrow of the elected leader.
The National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy, a coalition of mostly Islamist parties and groups supportive of the deposed president, has announced 33 pro-Morsi rallies across the two governorates to demand his reinstatement.
The rallies come one day after the Interior Ministry – which controls Egypt's police apparatus – urged Morsi supporters in Cairo's Rab'a al-Adaweya Square and Giza's Nahda Square to leave their sit-ins "quickly" in order to ensure their safety.
"We call on protesters in Rab'a al-Adaweya and Nahda squares to listen to reason to serve the best interests of the homeland and leave their sit-ins quickly to ensure the safety of all parties," the ministry declared in a statement.
The ministry pledged "a safe exit and full protection to whoever complies with the call to preserve the stability and safety of the homeland."
On Wednesday, the government asserted that the continuation of the two main pro-Morsi sit-ins "threatened Egypt's national security."
The government went on to announce that it had mandated the interior minister to take "all necessary measures" to defend social peace and security.
Ever since his removal, supporters of the deposed president have been holding daily mass demonstrations and sit-ins nationwide to demand his reinstatement.
The two largest sit-ins have been in Rab'a al-Adaweya Square in eastern Cairo and Nahda Square in Giza.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
