Egypt: Army allows “peaceful protests” to Morsi’s supporters

Egypt’s army will guarantee the right to peaceful protests to ex-president Morsi’s supporters.

By Nicole Hamer |

13:30 05 July 2013

Muslim Brotherhood supporters are expected to stage a rally today after ex-president Mohammed Morsi was ousted. As the brotherhood spokesman Gehad al-Haddad refused to cooperate with the new regime, Egypt army guaranteed the right to peaceful protests.

The military has published statement on its spokesman’s Facebook page saying that although it supported the right to peaceful protest, it warned that violence and civil disobedience acts would harm social peace.

Hours after Adly Mansour was sworn in as interim president, clashes in the Nile Delta province broke out.

The police have arrested Mohammed Badie, Brotherhood’s supreme leader, for inciting the killing of protesters as confirmed by a security official. Mahdi Akef, the former supreme guide was also arrested. Morsi, on the other hand, was “preventively detained” by the military hours after he was ousted.

Addressing suggestions that Morsi might face trial, the army said in a statement: “The armed forces believe that the forgiving nature and manners of the Egyptian people, and the eternal values of Islam, do not allow us to turn to revenge and gloating.”