Egypt, rivals plan rallies as tensions soar
CAIRO, July 12, 2013 (AFP) - Tens of thousands of supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi gathered on Friday vowing to keep fighting for his reinstatement, as rival rallies defending his overthrow underlined Egypt's bitter divisions.
The rallies come as Germany called for the release of Morsi, who is being held in a “safe place, for his safety” and has not yet been charged, according to the foreign ministry.
“We call for an end to the restrictions on Mr Morsi's whereabouts,” a German foreign ministry spokesman told reporters.
With an Egyptian flag in one hand and a Koran in the other, protesters gathered outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in Cairo's Nasr City neighbourhood chanted against the military and pledged allegiance to Morsi.
“We will continue to resist. We will stay one or two months, or even one or two years. We won't leave here until our president, Mohamed Morsi, comes back,” influen- tial Islamist leader Safwat Hegazi told the crowd. Hegazi laid down their demands as the reinstatement of Egypt's first freely elected president, immediate parliamentary elections and a committee to oversee a plan for national reconciliation.
The anti-Morsi camp has al-
With an Egyptian flag in one hand and a Koran in the other, protesters gathered outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in Cairo's Nasr City neighbourhood
so called for huge rallies after Friday prayers, in Tahrir Square and at the Ittihadiya presidential palace, with a mass iftar -- the breaking of the Muslim fast -- planned at sundown in the central plaza.
In Tahrir Square, several dozen demonstrators gathered under a scorching midday sun, adamant that the crowds would pick up later.
The holy month of Ramadan, usually a time of communal sharing and unity, has been marked instead by anxiety after deadly clashes and uncertainty about the future.
The rival rallies have raised fears of more of the violence that has shaken Egypt since the army removed Morsi after millions of demonstrators demanded his resignation.