Freedom and Justice Party Statement on Old Regime Remnants, NSF and Rebel Attacks Friday

Millions of Egyptians went out today in peaceful marches from all Egyptian governorates to express their support for electoral legitimacy. Members of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) were fully committed to peaceful discourse, both those who participated in the activities of the ‘Legitimacy – a red line’ million-man marches in Rabaa Al-Adaweya Square and those who gathered outside the FJP headquarters across Egypt.

However, they were ambushed by thugs and criminals hired by dissolved National Democratic Party (NDP) figures, under a political cover from the so-called National Salvation Front (NSF), Rebel (Tamarod) movement and political parties affiliated to the former regime, who attacked FJP unarmed youths with firearms, swords and Molotov fire-bombs.

The provinces of Beheira, Alexandria and Qaliubiya witnessed the highest rate of violent attacks and violations. Mobs of Rebel members and remnants of the dissolved NDP used Molotov bombs and rifles in attacks on the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Sidi Gaber, Alexandria, where they threw out the offices’ contents and burned the building.

In Qaliubiya, some thugs attacked FJP members who were on their way to Cairo to participate in the ‘Legitimacy, a red line’ million-man march.

In Dakahlia, heavily armed thugs stormed the FJP headquarters with automatic weapons, wounding 40 FJP members, and even lay siege to the hospital where they went for treatment.

In Beheira, members of Rebel, together with remnants of the dissolved NDP attacked Muslim Brotherhood headquarters with automatic weapons, wounded 5 members of the group, and burned the front of the FJP building. The same thugs also tried to break into shops, violated the sanctity of homes, attacked property and assaulted people in various places in the province.

In Gharbiya, a mob of thugs attacked Muslim Brotherhood leading member Dr. Metwalli Abdul-Basset, a professor of Internal Medicine at Banha Faculty of Medicine, and tried to break into his home, and then burned Shops below his flat, then local residents chased them away.

In Kafr El-Sheikh, mobs of members of Rebel movement and NSF broke into FJP headquarters, smashed its furniture and stole its contents, then attacked a shop owned by leading FJP member Mustafa Afifi.

The FJP deeply mourns the martyrs who defended electoral legitimacy during the last few days. Today (Friday) witnessed dozens of violent attacks on members of the FJP and the Muslim Brotherhood as well as local residents which caused numerous injuries, in addition to criminal acts of arson and breaking into the headquarters of the FJP and the Brotherhood, and attacks on shops and homes that terrorized innocent people, using Molotov fire-bombs and rifles.

All this betrays a deliberate intention to turn current demonstrations to fertile breeding ground for thugs and corrupt figures of the defunct regime, taking advantage of the opposition youth’s enthusiasm in order to drag the country into a spiral of violence, vandalism and instability.

The FJP appreciates the role played by its young members and national youth groups in the protection of electoral legitimacy, and offers sincere condolences to the families of the martyrs and wishes all the injured a speedy recovery.

The FJP reiterates its call to the opposition to play its part in the political process and contest the upcoming parliamentary elections, rather than make an alliance with vandals, thugs and members of the dissolved NDP and former regime figures.

The FJP urges security agencies to bear their national responsibilities in the protection of lives and property, as per the text of the Constitution and the law.