Several youth and revolutionary groups have refused to participate in a demonstration called for by Islamist forces to protest the participation of former regime figures, particularly Omar Suleiman, in the presidential election.
The groups consider the protest, scheduled to take place Friday in Tahrir Square, another phase in the ongoing struggle between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military council that has no relation to the demands of the revolution.
Haytham al-Khateeb, spokesperson for the Revolutionary Youth Union, said the group will not take part in a struggle over power between the Brotherhood and the military council.
Khateeb said the group has reservations over the nominations of former Vice President Suleiman, Brotherhood stalwart Khairat al-Shater and Freedom and Justice Party chief Mohamed Morsy, and pointed out that the Brotherhood broke their promise not to field a candidate in the election.
Khateeb said the Brotherhood’s decision to take to the square now is “illogical” after it refused to join in protests after the Mohamed Mahmoud and cabinet clashes. He added that the Brotherhood attacked the revolutionaries during those incidents but now seek their support for Brotherhood demands.
“Principles are integral. The Brotherhood is fighting with the military council over power not the revolution,” Khaled al-Sayed, a member of the union’s executive bureau, said. “The Brotherhood left Tahrir. They reaped the revolution’s benefits. They gained a parliamentary majority and control the legislative committees.”
Mohamed Awwad, coordinator of the Youth for Justice and Freedom movement, said the group will consider the Brotherhood’s call for participation but that he personally will not attend the demonstration.
“The Brotherhood refused to take to the square more than once,” Awwad added. “They refused to protest with the youth against Kamal al-Ganzouri’s cabinet or against the price hike and the butane gas cylinder crisis. They said the revolution had resulted in Parliament, and that they are ready to achieve revolutionary demands through Parliament.”
Tarek al-Kholy, spokesperson for the April 6 Youth Movement’s Democratic Front, said the group is still considering joining the demonstration and that it will communicate with the Brotherhood to determine their real reasons for calling for the protest. He said the movement would not participate if the Brotherhood was only acting in its own interests.
The Brotherhood is currently escalating its conflict with the military council and seeking to remove obstacles to Shater’s nomination, Kholy said. He speculated that other revolutionary forces would not get involved.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
