Pro-Morsi demonstrators to stage 33 rallies in Cairo, Giza

Pro-Morsi demonstrators to stage 33 rallies in Cairo, Giza

Backers of ousted President Mohamed Morsi will stage 33 rallies in Cairo and Giza on Friday to denounce the overthrow of the elected leader.

The rallies will start from mosques in the two governorates following the weekly prayers, the National Alliance for the Defense of Legitimacy, made up mostly of Islamist parties and groups supportive of Morsi, declared in a statement late Thursday.

The pro-Morsi coalition added that protesters will stage 21 marches in Cairo and 12 rallies in Giza.

The rallies come one day after the Interior Ministry – which controls Egypt's police apparatus – urged Morsi supporters in Cairo's Rab'a al-Adaweya Square and Giza's Nahda Square to leave their sit-ins "quickly" in order to ensure their safety.

"We call on protesters in Rab'a al-Adaweya and Nahda squares to listen to reason to serve the best interests of the homeland and leave their sit-ins quickly to ensure the safety of all parties," the ministry declared in a statement.

The ministry pledged "a safe exit and full protection to whoever complies with the call to preserve the stability and safety of the homeland."

On Wednesday, the government asserted that the continuation of the two main pro-Morsi sit-ins "threatened Egypt's national security."

The government went on to announce that it had mandated the interior minister to take "all necessary measures" to defend social peace and security.

Ever since his removal, supporters of the deposed president have been holding daily mass demonstrations and sit-ins nationwide to demand his reinstatement.

The two largest sit-ins have been in Rab'a al-Adaweya Square in eastern Cairo and Nahda Square in Giza.

Hundreds of supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohamed Morsi staged protests outside the High Court in Cairo's downtown on Thursday against the military coup on July 3.

Protesters carring pictures of Morsi chanted for his legitimacy as a president and against the army's leader.

Before getting dispersed by the security forces, demonstrators caused the blockage of the traffic for an hour.

PHOTO CAPTION

Egyptian police

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