CAIRO (AP) – Egypt’s president urged citizens to defend the state and its institutions from the “forces of evil” on Sunday, a day before planned demonstrations against his policies, including the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.
In a widely televised speech, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi insisted on the need for stability in the Arab world’s most populous country, saying that attempts to degrade it “won’t be successful” if Egypt stands united.
“We must protect these institutions because these mean the state,” he said. “I am reiterating to the Egyptian people this is the responsibility of all of us, for us to protect this security and stability.”
Earlier this month, thousands marched against el-Sissi’s policies in the largest demonstrations since he assumed office in 2014. The protests featured slogans such as “leave,” and “down with the regime,” used in the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.
The protesters, including politicians and activists, called for more demonstrations on Monday, a national holiday that commemorates the withdrawal of the last Israeli troops from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982 under the Camp David peace agreement.