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Egypt's opposition forces call for mass protests on Friday
[Al Ahram] A number of political parties and groups have called for mass anti-government protests on Friday.

The day's protests have been given different monikers in the media, with some labelling it "Departure Friday," while the 38 organisations that are behind the call to demonstrate described it as "the Friday of human dignity" in the press release they issued on Wednesday.

"Together on the Friday of human dignity, Egyptians will assert every day that they are free and they will not be enslaved or accept injustice, and will not allow their blood or dignity to be violated by police, or president, or a group," read the statement.

Among the parties and movements that declared their participation in the protests on Friday were the Constitution Party, the Popular Current, the Free Egyptians Party, the Maspero Youth Union, the Coalition of Revolutionary Powers, the Free Front for Peaceful Change, the Suez Revolutionaries Bloc, the Mahalla Revolution, the National Front for Justice and Freedom and the Youth of the Democratic Front Party.

The call to protest raised political and economic grievances, including "the sacrifice of social justice for the sake of the IMF loan" and the issue of torture and detention of protesters.

The call comes after widely published reports of human rights violations against protesters involved in recent anti-government protests, including reports of torture.

According to the liberal Constitution Party, the protests will include several rallies from locations in Cairo and Giza following Friday prayers (mid-afternoon), to both Tahrir Square and the presidential palace in Heliopolis.

There are also protests and rallies planned in several governorates including Ismailia, Suez, Alexandria, Mahalla, Sharqiya and Menoufiya.

The 'Ahmed Maher Front', a splinter group of the April 6 Youth Movement, has not yet announced its position on the protests. The 'Democratic Front' of the April 6 Youth Movement has announced it will participate in several governorates.

Posted by: Fred 2013-02-08
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=361819