Al Sissi warns against protests on anniversary of 2011 revolt

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi warned critics on Tuesday not to hold protests on January 25 to mark the anniversary of the 2011 uprising, saying a new revolt risked destroying the country.

Opposition groups including the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, families of political prisoners, and left-wing activists are calling for mass demonstrations on January 25, 2016 — which marks five years since the start of an 18-day uprising that ended autocratic president Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year grip on power.

“Why am I hearing calls for another revolution? Why do you want to ruin (Egypt)? I came by your will and your choice and not despite it,” Al Sissi said in a speech marking the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday, which this year falls on Dec. 23.

“Look around you to nearby countries, some of which I don’t like to name, which have been suffering for 30 years and have not been able to come back. States that have been destroyed do not return.” As the armed forces chief in mid-2013, Al Sissi ousted Mohammad Mursi, a Muslim Brotherhood member and Egypt’s first democratically-elected president, amid widespread unrest over his turbulent rule.

Al Sissi then banned the Muslim Brotherhood and jailed thousands of its members.

A law has been passed banning Egyptians from protesting without permission, a move activists say is unconstitutional and aimed at preventing a repeat of the mass protests that have toppled two presidents in the last five years.

Street protests have all but dried up since the protest law was passed.