Thousands demonstrated outside the northern military zone in Alexandria Tuesday in protest of the supplement to the Constitutional Declaration, which they called a "coup," and reports that the presidential chief of staff will be appointed by the military council.
Salafi Nour Party MP Essam Hassanein said from a podium outside the military zone, “We tell the military council thank you for all you have done during the transitional period. Your role is over, and you have to leave and hand over power now to the elected president.”
Hassanein added the People’s Assembly represents Egyptian popular will and must not be dissolved, saying that it will return to session against the will of the military council.
The protesters raised banners denouncing the constitutional supplement and the policies of the military council, chanting slogans such as, “We brought Morsy from the square and we will oust you Field Marshal” and “No to Tantawi, no to Anan, the revolutionaries are still in the square,” referring to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, and his Chief of Staff Sami Anan.
They demanded the application of the Political Isolation Law on figures related to the ousted regime, referring to the law that would ban former high-ranking figures of Mubarak's regime from holding public office for a period of 10 years following his resignation on 11 February 2011. They also called for purging corruption from the judiciary and its separation from the executive.
April 6 Youth Movement spokesperson Mostafa al-Attar told Al-Masry Al-Youm in a statement, “We will not allow the military council to manipulate us again. In order to maintain the civility of the state and the nation, we will not allow its coup against revolutionary legitimacy to succeed.”
Attar criticized the “bias” against revolutionary forces, adding that the law allowing army officers and personnel to arrest civilians is unjust.
The protesters were adamant in their rejection of the constitutional supplement, the dissolution of Parliament and Constituent Assembly that the military is set to convene.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
