President Mohamed Morsy threatened Sunday that “whoever sticks his finger inside Egypt, I will cut it off.”
“I can see a couple of fingers getting inside by nobodies who have no value in this world, thinking that money can make them men,” Morsy went on in a remark that could have sexual connotations in Egyptian dialect, something that has raised criticism and led to a wave of jokes on social networking websites.
The remark came as part of the speech given by Morsy before the conference of the Initiative to Support Women’s Rights and Freedoms Sunday. The speech addressed the aftermath of the Moqattam clashes between pro- and anti-Morsy protesters Friday, in which 200 people were injured.
“For six months, they have wanted to scare people, and threaten them with bankruptcy and starvation, and nothing has happened. Egypt has not and will not go bankrupt or fall,” he added.
He threatened, “The life of some is worth nothing compared to the interests of Egyptians, and I will take extraordinary measures if they do not beware.”
“Events of violence and riot are foreign to us, and we denounce them, whatever their origin is,” he added. “The attempts to strangle the country are a failure. I will not allow anyone to break the law, whether they are supporters or opponents.”
Morsy addressed the attendants of the conference: “You’d be angry at me if I punished the media personalities who describe the opponents in the street, who practice violence, as revolutionaries and politicians. I’ve been patient so far.”
The president described the attempts to show the state as weak of “failure.” He stressed that “the state agencies are recovering and could deter any violator by law.”
He warned that he would “take legal action against those involved in acts of violence, whether politicians or the media.”
“Those who don’t want to pay taxes incite a presenter to insult me and criticize me,” Morsy said. “I do not have any objection to criticizing me, but when criticism affects our country, I will not forgive it.”
