Hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members gathered in front of the Rabaa Adawiyya Mosque in New Cairo on Friday evening in order to support President Mohamed Morsy, and to ask that the referendum on the country's draft constitution not be delayed past its appointed date of 15 December. Brotherhood members said the group would remain at the mosque, and would only march to the presidential palace if protesters broke into it. As of late evening, thousands of protesters remained in front of the presidential palace in New Cairo. Mohammed Abdel-Rahman, spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood student organization at Cairo University, said he had received directions to come to the mosque in order to show support for Morsy. The demonstrators carried pictures of the president and banners supporting him, including "Egyptian people supported your decision Oh Morsy," and "you are the legitimate president." Earlier Friday, protesters removed barriers set up by army forces, reaching the presidential palace. Army forces said they would forcibly remove protesters if the demonstration remained peaceful. Friday's marches, dubbed the day of "red card" for the president, in reference to the soccer disqualification come after a week of unrest. In the past week, clashes ensuing from Morsy's constitutional declaration have led to the death of six people and the injury of hundreds. The most severe fighting was on Wednesday, when a group of Morsy supporters attempted to clear a sit-in protesting the draft constitution and Morsly's declaration, by force, which incited a street battle with rocks, birdshot guns, and other weapons. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
