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Cairo — An Islamist alliance backing deposed president Mohammed Morsi called for 18 days of protests from tomorrow as Egypt on 25 January marks three years since the revolt that ousted his predecessor.The Anti-Coup Alliance said in a statement yesterday that protests will last until 11 February — the day when Morsi’s predecessor, long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak, stepped down in early 2011 after an 18-day uprising against his decades-old regime.
Saturday, the third anniversary of the 2011 revolt, promises to be a tense day. Interim interior minister Mohamed Ibrahim has also called for demonstrations on that day to counter what he said was an Islamist “plot to spark chaos”, an unusual appeal from the top police official tasked with enforcing a law that restricts protests.
Morsi supporters have staged regular protests demanding his reinstatement despite a brutal government crackdown that has left more than 1,000 people killed since his ouster in July.
The alliance said the objective of its protests was to “end the military rule which has committed most if not all the awful and shameful crimes since 25 January 2011 which peaked during the military coup” that ousted Morsi. Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, was removed by the army on 3 July after mass protests against his year-long rule.
The alliance said its protests will be “non-violent . . . and peaceful”, but their rallies have often turned into street clashes with Morsi opponents and security forces.
Meanwhile, Morsi and 24 others, including top activists who opposed him and his predecessor, will stand trial for insulting the judiciary, state media and judicial sources said.
The defendants have been charged for allegedly making comments in the media and online that showed “disrespect and hatred for the courts and the judiciary”, state news agency MENA said.
It was unclear whether the defendants would be tried together, and the latest charges will be the fourth set of proceedings against Morsi since his ouster. —AFP
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