'Brotherhood drive against Egypt’s stability a fiasco'

Cairo: Egyptian police had arrested several people for holding unauthorised street demonstrations late Friday against President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi, security sources said. Friday’s protests were in response to online calls by Brotherhood-linked media outlets and Egyptian businessman-cum-actor Mohammad Ali, who had fled the country to Spain alleging in viral videos corruption by the military.

“The Brotherhood’s systematic campaign against Egypt and its stability has abysmally failed,” said UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Gargash. In his tweets, Gargash cited “genuine” public support for Egypt’s state institutions, exposing allegations by pro-Brotherhood media.

“Egypt is recovering and resolutely facing challenges on a daily basis. Realities are different from what the externally funded media propagate."

Police dispersed a small demonstration in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the focal point of 2011 mass protests that forced longtime president Hosni Mubarak to resign.

Among the protesters arrested late Friday was a son of a jailed Muslim Brotherhood leader, the sources said.

Diaa, the son of Saad Al Katatni, the head of the parliament under the now-banned Brotherhood, was arrested for organizing an illegal protest in the suburb of October 6, west of Cairo, the sources added.

“The Brotherhood’s systematic campaign against Egypt and its stability has abysmally failed,” said UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Gargash.

In his tweets, Gargash cited “genuine” public support for Egypt’s state institutions, exposing allegations by pro-Brotherhood media.

“Egypt is recovering and resolutely facing challenges on a daily basis. Realities are different from what the externally funded media propagate."

According to a 2013 law, street demonstrations in Egypt are banned without prior permission from the Interior Ministry in charge of home security in Egypt.

In 2013, the army, then led by Al Sissi, toppled president Mohammad Mursi of the Brotherhood following enormous street protests against his one-year rule.

The Brotherhood and their loyalists have since incited violence in Egypt and sought to derail Al Sissi’s efforts to re-establish security in the country.

Al Sissi, who took office in 2015, has largely restored stability to Egypt and rejuvenated its battered economy.

The UAE is a staunch backer of post-Brotherhood Egypt. Both Egypt and the UAE have outlawed the Islamist group.

TV stations loyal to the Brotherhood, based in Turkey and Qatar, have over recent days incited Egyptians to take to the streets en masse to demand Al Sissi to step down.

Al Sissi is currently in New York to attend the annual UN General Assembly meetings.