Khafagi: 10 principles for unity against the coup

President of the Taghyeer Party Bassem Khafagi praised the Brussels and Cairo declarations announced recently to unite the anti-coup front. He called for unity of revolutionary powers vis-à-vis the military coup.

Khafagi urged the signatories of the Brussels and Cairo declarations to uphold ten principles, which he believed should be a framework for anti-coup efforts.

The first principle, according to Khafagi, is preserving the principles of the January 25 revolution, stressing that “Egypt will not move forward unless it restores the January 25 revolution practically and not theoretically.”

Khafagi called for agreement on the need to transition to civilian rule and ending military rule. The sole role of the military, he says, should be defense and national security.

Thirdly, Khafagi called for “retribution and not giving up on the blood of martyrs who died for the sake of freedom.” Those complicit in the killing and unjust arrests of civilians should be brought to justice, without exceptions, he added.

The fourth principle according to Khafagi is that no compromises should be made with the leaders of the coup. All of them must leave unconditionally, he stressed.

Fifth, the revolution should be perceived as “a project for change, not merely reform.”

Sixth, those who committed mistakes should admit them and apologize to the Egyptian people.

Seventh, Khafagi said that the anti-coup bloc should not buy the “war on terrorism hoax”. He pointed out that the military-run authorities are publicizing the notion of “war on terrorism” to intimidate the revolutionaries.

Eighth, he called for steadfastness vis-à-vis “illegitimate political participation”. The anti-coup bloc “should not give in to temptations of participating in a bloody political scene stained with the blood of innocent people and reflecting a bygone era of corruption.”

The ninth principle is rejecting the return of Mubarak’s henchmen and the deep state to the political arena.

The tenth and last principle in his opinion is “refusing to accept any humiliation or attempts to break the will of revolutionaries.”