The Tamarod Movement has called on the League of Arab States to support the initiative it is launching under the title “Squares without Weapons,” which will ensure that there are no weapons in the sit-ins in Rabaa al-Adaweya and Nahda squares where supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsy are staging protests.
“Armed sit-ins are unacceptable,” said Tamarod spokesperson Mahmoud Badr after meeting with Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Araby.
Badr also said that the revolution of 25 January 2011, and the second revolution of 30 June 2013, provided a model to the world that peace is the right way to express demands. “We recommend that our opponents follow the same path,” he said.
“Turning a sit-in into an arsenal and intimidating citizens is unacceptable,” he added.
“We asked for delegations from the Arab League, Egyptian human rights organization, and the Public Prosecution to inspect all squares where sit-ins are taking place to make sure protesters have no weapons,” he said.
Badr said Araby promised to pursue the matter with the competent authorities to obtain the necessary permits, and agreed with him that protests must remain peaceful, criticizing the Muslim Brotherhood for turning down an invitation to a collective prayer at Al-Azhar and a national dialogue session with the presidency.
“I hope the Brotherhood puts aside intransigence and stops using children as human shields,” he said. “We need to build together a nation of freedom and justice.”
Edited translation from MENA
