Sisi attends military parade to commemorate 1973 October War

“The Egyptian army could not hesitate for a moment to meet the calls of the Egyptian people who went out in demonstrations on June 30, 2013,” calling for the overthrow of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi said yesterday.

In a speech delivered during the 41st anniversary of the 1973 October War at the headquarters of the Military Academy, Al-Sisi said: “The Egyptian people prove in every crisis that they are different and unique, a fact that they need to be sure of because of what we are now living through.”

He said: “It is the people who came out in January 25, 2011, to change to a reality, and tried a system for a year [referring to Mohamed Morsi’s rule], but felt that the Egyptian state suffered from a real danger, so they came out on June 30, 2013. This is what prompted the army to meet the calls of the people.”

On June 30, 2013, Egypt witnessed large scale demonstrations calling for the then President Mohamed Morsi to step down after one year in power. He was removed by power by what is commonly regarded as a military coup on July 3.

Al-Sisi said Egyptians came in support of him out during his visit to attend the 66th session of the UN general Assembly in New York last week, adding: “I was not alone there, and many were shocked at the number of Egyptians who had come out onto the streets for hours waving their country’s flag. Thanks to the Egyptian people who supported me and stood next to me and announced to the whole world that Al-Sisi is not alone.”

He pointed out that his message to the world was clear in every meeting conducted, “until everyone realised the truth of what happened in Egypt,” he said, adding that “the majority realised the truth, there are others, they saw things with their own eyes, but they do not want to believe.”

Al-Sisi interrupted his speech to ask the military parade, which included branches of the armed forces and weapons, to salute the Egyptian people.