Revolution Youth Union calls on security to evacuate Tahrir square before Friday’s protests
Ahram Online, Tuesday 6 Sep 2011
Many foresee violence erupting between security forces occupying Egypt's Tahrir Square and activists who plan a mass protest there on Friday


The Revolution Youth Union called on the ministry of interior and military police to withdraw all security personnel deployed in Tahrir Square ahead of Friday’s planned protests in order to avoid possible “bloodshed.”

A member of the union’s executive office, Amr Hamed, believes a clash between protesters and police this Friday is highly likely considering central security forces assaulted the families of the revolution’s martyrs during Monday’s session of deposed president Hosni Mubarak’s trial.

Pro- and anti-Mubarak protesters repeatedly confronted each other during the third session outside the courtroom. Central security forces and martyrs’ relatives stoned each other in the process.

Haitham El-Khatib, another member of the office, called on Prime Minister Essam Sharaf to step down, saying the cabinet “failed to fulfill their promises,” including ending the nationwide security vacuum and applying a minimum wage.

With resentment against Israel high, they also cited “backtracking on their decision to withdraw the Egyptian ambassador from Israel” as another reason why the ministerial team should step down.

Tensions rose between Egypt and Israel after Egyptian soldiers were gunned down at the joint borders by Israeli forces, who were allegedly hunting down “terrorists.”

Under the slogan of “Correcting the Path,” the Revolutionary Youth Coalition (RYC) called for a mass rally in Tahrir Square this Friday, with many other political forces seeming to respond.

The participants in the upcoming demonstrations are expected demand the immediate stoppage of military trials for civilians, which are rampant these days in Egypt.

Moreover, they will push to set a definitive timetable for handing power over to a civilian administration and to scrap election laws the coalition believes would allow former Hosni Mubarak supporters to control future parliaments.

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