Presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei on Thursday said he supports the planned demonstrations on Friday calling for the expedition of the trial of deposed President Hosni Mubarak and the participation of civilians in the political decision-making process during the transitional period. “Peaceful demonstration is a basic right for people to make their voices heard,” he wrote on his Twitter account. “Casting doubt on intentions is divisive and counterproductive.” The Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi groups have announced that they intend to boycott the demonstrations, which they say are against the interests of the people and are intended to drive a wedge between the military and the public. Meanwhile, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which has been ruling Egypt since the overthrow of Mubarak in February, in a message on its Facebook page, warned of suspicious elements trying to create divisions between the Egyptian people and the armed forces. The council also wrote that no army troops would be present during the demonstration so as to avoid any attempts at creating discord between civilians and the military. The council expressed its confidence in the ability of the revolutionary youth to organize and secure the demonstration themselves. Violence has marred demonstrations in Tahrir Square several times since March, with revolutionary youth groups blaming the remnants of Mubarak's dissolved National Democratic Party. In related news, the Arabic Network for Human Rights accused the Muslim Brotherhood group of agitating against the organizers of the Friday demonstration, while human rights organizations said the military police on Thursday arrested at least five activists in Cairo and Mansoura as they were distributing leaflets calling for participation in the Friday demonstration. Translated from the Arabic Edition
