Hundreds of protesters backed by 40 politicians demonstrate in front of the Journalists` Syndicate against the escalating violence by the military regime.
Over 200 protesters continue to chant against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on the steps of the Journalists’ Syndicate in downtown Cairo.
The protest is a continuation of a sit-in that was instigated on Monday night by 40 well-known political figures who were demonstrating against state repression and the continued clashes between protesters and the security forces, which has claimed 13 lives this week.
The original 40, who convened at the El Sawy Culturewheel last night in order to discuss ways to end the standoff, released a statement of eight demands.
The demands include an immediate end to the violence and bloodshed, the release of all those who were illegally detained during the clashes, the punishment of all security forces who participated in the killing of protesters and the creation of an independent judicial committee to investigate the cabinet clashes, as well as previous episodes of violence by the Armed Forces.
The statement was signed by 40 politicians including Amr Hamzawy who won the individual seat in the Heliopolis constituency, Mohamed El-Beltagy secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, Ayman Nour of the Ghad Al-Thawra Party, George Ishak founder of the Kefaya movement, Mohamed El-Agaty of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, Mostafa El-Naggar of the El-Adl Party, Amr Farouk of the El-Wasat Party and Mohamed El-Sawy of the El-Hadara Party.
The ‘parliamentarian’ sit-in was originally intended to be held outside the Supreme Court. Only a few politicians attended including Hamzawy, El-Naggar, Ishak, Nour and El-Beltagy who, together with 200 supporters, were confronted by a pro-SCAF group outside the court chanting “the people and the army are one hand.”
“They looked very hostile like they wanted a fight, so we decided to move to another location to avoid clashes,” Amr Abu Shanab, an independent activist who was with the group, told Ahram Online. The Journalists’ Syndicate’s steps were then turned into a mini-Tahrir with protesters erecting small tents for the night.
This morning only about a dozen protesters remained. The few political figures who had joined left as well. By 2pm, Hamzawy and El-Naggar briefly returned to support the protesters.
“This is definitely a parliamentarian sit-in, several have already come and we expect more to join in,” El-Naggar told Ahram Online, “We don’t yet have a parliament, so we believe this sit-in is a great pressure tool.”
It is not yet clear how long the protesters will remain, however Hamzawy told Ahram Online that it will be held symbolically from between 2pm and 7pm.
El-Naggar said that the political forces will hold a meeting every day to decide the demands. So far their are two agreed proposals, El-Naggar explained. The first is that the SCAF hands over power to a civilian authority on January 25, the anniversary of the Egyptian revolution. The second proposal is that the new parliament speaker becomes the temporary president of the country until the presidential elections are held.
“We ask the SCAF to stop being stubborn,” El-Naggar added. “The legitimacy comes from the people and the people have already said their word.”
The story of the young veiled protester who was stripped down to her bra by security forces was an important focal point for the protesters who chanted against the escalating abuse of female activists. Several feminist groups including the Maraa El-Gedida (New Woman) NGO held banners denouncing sexual violence of women.
While the political leaders of this sit-in are still indecisive about what actions they will take if the military council does not meet their demands, other protesters have vowed to remain until the violence ends. Retired brigadier Hussein Hammouda, who quit the Central Security Forces three years ago in protest of the endemic use of torture, affirmed that the group planned to stay for a while. “All the logistics are done, the tents are here and the blankets,” Hammouda added.
During the first day of the sit-in, activists sleeping on the syndicate steps heard the gunfire in the square and read reports on Twitter about the casualties. “Some of us decided to go to the square to try and help but the rest remained,” Hammouda said.
“If we go there now we will be brutally beaten,” says protester Mohamed Aziz who with other protesters explained how the purpose of their sit-in was to increase numbers, “If more people join us, then we can overtake the square. Tahrir Square is and will always be the place."
[Developed in partnership with Ahram Online.]
From Jadaliyya Editors:
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