Egyptian Social Democratic Party Criticizes Pro-Morsi Students

Egyptian student demonstration occupying Tahrir Square in opposition to the ongoing military-backed regime in Cairo on December 1, 2012. Protests against the army are growing., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Egyptian Social Democratic Party criticises pro-Morsi students

Ahram Online, Sunday 1 Dec 2013

Party calling for student protests accused the Muslim Brotherhood of hijacking the demonstrations

The Egyptian Social Democratic Party, which had called for protests on Sunday at Cairo University to denounce the death of a student in clashes a day earlier, stated that it had asked members of the Muslim Brotherhood not to join the demonstrations.

The party had called for a protest at the university where clashes between pro-Brotherhood students and security forces had led to the death of student Mohamed Reda the day before.

After a protest at the campus, groups of demonstrators marched from the campus across the Nile river into central Cairo and into Tahrir Square on Sunday afternoon.

Once in the square, demonstrators denounced what they described as a coup against former president Mohamed Morsi, who hails from the Brotherhood, and demanded the removal of both the interior minister and the minister of higher education. Police dispersed the gathered protesters with teargas.

In a statement released on Sunday evening, a spokesman for the party said the Brotherhood have "a habit of lying, empty promises, and solely pursing their own benefits."

According to the statement, the party asked all participants in the marches not to deploy any political slogans, but said that the Muslim Brotherhood had failed to follow instructions.

The statement also accused the Brotherhood of causing divisions between the students.

Hazem Tareq, a spokesman for the pro-Morsi Students Movement Against the Coup, stated on Sunday that Egyptian youth would "take to the squares and streets" to denounce the "coup" instead of remaining on university campuses.

"From today onwards, no voice will rise above the students' voices," he said.

Student protesters later re-grouped after being dispersed by security forces from Tahrir. Police prevented them from marching between two nearby squares, Abdel-Moneim Riyad and Ramsis, firing more teargas.

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