One year on, regrets overwhelm the partners of the 30 June demonstrations

On the first anniversary of the June 30 demonstrations, which paved the way for the military coup which ousted President Mohammed Morsi under the pretext of fulfilling the will of the masses, a state of sorrow and regret is dominating a large number of celebrities and leaders who took part in the protests.

Political and human rights activities have expressed their sorrow for taking part in the Tamarrod campaign and for signing the petition that withdrew confidence in President Morsi.

A quick look at the celebrities who called for the June 30, 2013, demonstrations unveils that most of them were affiliated with the political parties and groups that formed the Salvation Front. Many of them are now held in prison, such as Ahmad Maher, Ahmad Douma, Muhammad Adel and Alaa Abd Al-Fattah, or have left the country after coming under attack such as Muhammad Al-Baradie and Alaa Al-Aswani, or are banned from appearing in the media, including many of the leaders of the Salvation Front.

‘I shall never forgive myself’

Human rights activist Aydah Seif Al-Dawlah has described the Tamarrod petition, which was used as an excuse in order to topple President-elect Morsi last year, as a big lie.

Al-Dawlah, who set up Al-Nadim Centre for Human Rights, published, via Facebook, a picture of the petition sheet she herself signed last year and said: “I shall never ever forgive myself for having believed in the petition and signed this form.”

She was one of many human rights activists who signed the petition organised by the Tamarrod campaign. She was also one of those who urged the masses to demonstrate in order to bring down President Morsi.

Ahmad Qanawi, Tamarrod Movement’s coordinator within the Journalists Syndicate, said June 30 did not offer Egypt anything and did not make the country a better place to live in as they were hoping but made it much worse in all areas.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera Mubasher Masr channel on Monday evening, Qanawi said: “The Tamarrod demands for the sake of which millions took to the streets did not achieve a thing. Crises are deeper and deeper. We went out demanding freedom and democracy for Egypt but Egypt has turned into a dictatorial police state. The ruling regime knows nothing but the language of suppression and persecution.”

He added: “I challenge Sisi to convince five per cent of the masses that took to the streets last year on June 30 to do the same once more.”

Tahrir Square for Al-Sisi supporters only

Groups who supported the revolution, which were among the most important forces that called for demonstrating on June 30, announced their refusal to participate in any commemoration of the first anniversary of those demonstrations in public squares.

They stressed that June 30 was not a revolution like January 25 and that the real objectives of the revolution had not been accomplished especially as a number of activists have been imprisoned as a consequence of the demonstrations law which was legislated by an authority that came to power by means of demonstrating.

Sharif Al-Rubi, member of the political bureau of 6 April, the democratic front, has said that his movement will not celebrate especial since Tahrir Square, the emblem of the revolution, is now closed and is only accessible to the supporters of President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi.

Al-Rubi wrote on his Facebook page that the revolutionary forces that took place in the June 30 demonstrations are now reconsidering their position and drawing a clear vision for their activities in the coming period in order to accomplish the objectives of the January 25 revolution and fulfil its demands of honourable living, freedom, social justice and human dignity.

Shaymaa Hamdi, member of the political bureau of the Youth for Justice and Freedom Movement and founding member of Revolution Road Front, has condemned any celebration of the June 30 anniversary for it was those demonstrations that sent the country back to the beginning again. She stressed that she would continue the struggle until the military rule, which is imposing its hegemony on the country, is brought down.

Halim Hnaish, human rights activist at Al-Nadim Centre, has stressed that he does not regret taking part in the events of June 30 but regrets the condition the country has deteriorated into. He also says he does not regret January 25 but regrets what came afterwards whether during the time when Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) ruled or when the Brotherhood ruled.

Decline

One of the parties that took part in the events of June 30 is Al-Dustur (Constitution) Party. Its founder, Muhammad Al-Baradie, took part in the coup declaration and briefly assumed the position of vice president before resigning and moving to Austria.

In a communique issued on Monday, the party criticised the failure to achieve any of the January 25 revolution objectives. It added that a year after the June 30 events, democratic forces find themselves in a state of decline where fighting terrorism is carried out in exchange for relinquishing the basic rights the Egyptians gained over the past three and a half years.

Al-Dustur’s statement said: “Whereas we were hoping for a new chapter to be opened in the aftermath of implementing the second most important article in the road map, namely the presidential elections, we now find ourselves confronted with more restrictions imposed on the right to peaceful demonstrating and assembly. More and more of the youth who took part in the January 25 revolution and the June 30 uprising are being thrown in to prison for weeks and months in accordance with a draconian demonstrations law.”

Similarly, Salafist Al-Noor Party issued a press statement on Monday, a copy of which was received by Arabi 21, in which it said it would not take part in commemorating the first anniversary of June 30, calling on the Egyptian people to engage in work and production.

The first anniversary takes place while the party is increasingly shunned by nearly all political groups in the country, whether loyalists or opponents. Party cadres have been banned from delivering Friday sermons in mosques.

Wael Qandil, chief editor of Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed newspaper, described the events of June 30 as the lie of the age. He called on those who signed the Tamarrod petition to go back and read its articles and ask themselves: “Which of these articles have been achieved?”

In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Qandil added that June 30 was a counter revolution orchestrated by members of the Mubarak regime. He noted that the first anniversary comes at a time when Egyptian society is severely divided.

Translated from Arabi21, 1 July, 2014