Egyptian army officer: Demos may bring end to Morsi
Muslim Brotherhood in disarray over upcoming anti-regime demos, senior officer says. Opposition claims 7 million signatures to oust Morsi collected
A high-ranking Egyptian army officer told the Palestinian news agency Maan on Thursday that all signs foretell that the mass protest, already dubbed the "June 30 revolution," may bring the Muslim Brotherhood regime to its end.
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According to Ahram online, The 'Rebel' (‘Tamarod’) campaign, a signature drive launched in May with the intention of "withdrawing confidence" from Morsi by collecting 15 million citizens' endorsements, has called for mass protests on June 30 to demand President Mohamed Morsi's ouster.
Late in May, the campaign announced it had collected seven million signatures.
Morsi's photo torched in Cairo (Photo: EPA)
Military warns gov't against anti-demo violence (Photo: AP)
The Egyptian officer claimed the Muslim Brotherhood is in disarray, especially after Egyptian Chief of Staff Sedki Sobhi announced the army will curb any regime-backed armed organization attempt against the demonstrators on June 30.
"The Egyptian army will take to the streets if the number of protestors will reach millions. The army warned Muslim Brotherhood high officials not to let out armed forces since the army will intervene with force," the Egyptian officer said.
According to him, the chief of staff's announcement shocked the Brotherhood, and instigated concerns that the demos are not mere protests but an actual revolution.
He added that the anti-Morsi demonstrations will be headed by judges, actors, artists, cultural and media figures as well as police and army officers.
According to Ahram online, most Egyptian opposition parties and groups have endorsed the planned protests, including the main opposition umbrella group, the National Salvation Front.
On Wednesday, a joint press conference of a number of Islamist groups said they would hold a rally to "renounce violence" on 21 June, warning that figures from the Mubarak regime plan to commit violence as part of the opposition protests.
Meanwhile, Ahram online reported the Salafist-oriented Nour Party has warned that the anti-government protests against President Morsi and the Islamist-led counter rallies in support of Morsi later this month will "cause everybody to lose," and called instead for a comprehensive and binding national dialogue to end the ongoing stalemate.
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