Month: July 2013

Not in our name!

Egypt’s Revolutionary Socialists — a small, influential and, in the Egyptian political scene today, remarkably coherent and clear-eyed group — has issued a statement that explains why giving General Al-Sisi a “mandate” to “fight terrorism” is a bad, and illogical, idea. Egypt’s April 6 movement — the activist group that began youth protests against Mubarak — has also come out against heeding Al-Sisi’s call for mass demonstrations today. 

Whatever crimes the Brotherhood has committed against the people and against the Copts in defence of its power in the name of religion, we do not give army chief Al-Sisi our authority. We will not go into the streets on Friday offering a blank cheque to commit massacres.

If Al-Sisi has the legal means to do what he wants, why is he calling people into the streets? What he wants is a popular referendum on assuming the role of Caesar and the law will not deter him.

 

A definition of excessive force

AP, reporting on yesterday’s killing of at least 50 Muslim Brotherhood supporters: 

The shootings Monday of Morsi supporters prompted questions about whether troops used excessive deadly force, an accusation the military dismissed as unfair.

“What excessive force? We were dealing with people shooting at us with live ammunition,” chief military spokesman Co. Ahmed Mohammed Ali told The Associated Press. “It would have been excessive if we killed 300.”

Confident in the army’s position, Ali asked those at a televised news conference to stand in silence to mourn the dead. Later he expressed regret for the loss of life, but did not accept blame for the killings.