Calls for anniversary of January revolution to be marked with civil disobedience

The Egyptian Revolutionary Council (ERC) called on Sunday for people to mark the sixth anniversary of the 25 January Revolution with civil disobedience in an attempt to put pressure on the Cairo regime which “cracks down on all opposition,” Anadolu has reported. The call was made during a press conference in Istanbul attended by former politicians and parliamentarians briefing journalists on the latest developments in Egypt.

“Political solutions with the military regime in Egypt at this stage beautify the face of dictatorship,” said the leader of the ERC, Maha Azzam. “As such, revolution is the only solution in response to the regime’s measures against the opposition.” Civil disobedience, she added, is a form of the revolution and it was one of the effective factors during the 25 January uprising.

According to the founder of Al-Dameer Front, “The problem of the Egyptian revolution is basically in the feeble state of awareness.” Omar Abdel-Hadi pointed out that, despite recognition that the opposition is weak, it could affect the people and raise awareness about the economic and political damages of the coup. He noted that there is already a kind of civil insurgency in some of the villages which have stopped paying for electricity supplies. “We push forward such efforts,” he said.

“We call for the Egyptian people to unite and be one body on the streets and in the squares in order to activate all forms of peaceful and popular resistance aiming to remove the coup,” the group statement concluded.