Egypt’s military junta won’t “bow to threats”
Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces at a press conference.
CAIRO: Egypt’s military junta said on Friday it would not “bow to threats and plots” to foment chaos in the country. It said in a statement read on State TV one day before the anniversary of President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster that “threats” will not stop the military from ensuring the revolution.
It also came ahead of a planned general strike called for by activists and movements in the country for Saturday, which the military and religious institutions have called “disruptive” and “un-Islamic.”
“We will never succumb to threats and will not give in to pressure,” the council said in a statement read on state TV.
The country is facing threats “to undermine institutions and topple the state, so that chaos reigns and destruction prevails,” the council said, in obvious reference to the nationwide strike called for Saturday.
Protesters have been calling for collective acts of civil disobedience to pressure the military to speed up the transfer of power starting Saturday. While more than 120 protest groups and movements are supporting the strike, it remains unclear how it will affect the country.
The military has already deployed soldiers and armored vehicles across the country outside key state institutions, including Cairo airport.
On Saturday morning, it appeared to be business as usual in downtown Cairo, with shops open and people moving back and forth.
“It is a start for us to try something different,” one activist told Bikyamasr.com while demonstrating on Friday in front of the ministry of defense. “We will eventually get rid of the military.”
Muslim and Coptic religious figures have condemned the strike, and the powerful Muslim Brotherhood group, which controls 47 percent of the newly elected parliament, said it will not take part in an action that would hurt the economy.
Despite being credited with supporting the revolution last year, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) have been attacked by activists and several political forces who accuse it of spreading chaos and inciting violence in the country to prolong its stay in power.
The military junta has been ruling Egypt since the popular revolt that forced Mubarak from office and has pledged to transfer power to a civilian administration by July.
BM
Section: Egypt, Latest News
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