The April 6 Youth Movement said Wednesday it was not going to partake in the 28 November protests called for by Islamist opponents of the government, saying the slogans adopted by proponents of the demonstrations are at odds with the group’s goals.
The Interior Ministry has been giving frequent warnings against violence or sabotage during the protests primarily championed by the Salafi Front under the slogan “the Muslim Youth Uprising.”
“The movement declares it is not going to take part in the Friday protests because they entrench sectarianism and division, which is contrary to the movement’s goals,” said the movement’s spokesperson Mostafa Kamal in a press conference.
“We believe in the right to peaceful expression of opinion and the renunciation of violence,” Kamal added. “We had vowed not to partake in any polarized battles.”
The April 6 Movement was the among the most outspoken opponents to the rule of former presidents Hosni Mubarak and Mohamed Morsy. The group, known of its opposition to military influence, maintained its opposing stances under former defense minister and current president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Several movement leaders have been jailed over protests against the current government.
The group was originally formed upon calls for a general strike on 6 April 2008 in solidarity with protests of spinning and weaving workers in Mahalla city which decried price hikes and low wages.
