National Alliance in Support of Legitimacy Statement Condemns Coup; Calls Peaceful Protests
Statement by the National Alliance in Support of Electoral Legitimacy (NASEL) condemns the bloody military coup and calls for more peaceful protests:
"To our people, our brothers and sisters, our partners in the homeland…"
We affirm that we take this position against the bloody military coup in defense of the democratic legitimacy of the elected President and the Constitution endorsed by the people and the Shura Council (Upper House), for these are what truly express popular will, an experience that was not allowed to continue even for one year.
First, they dissolved the democratically elected People’s Assembly (lower house of parliament); and then they mounted a military coup that kidnapped the elected President, dismissed the Shura Council, suspended the Constitution, imposed the will of the individual who mounted the coup against the country's President, appointed a government and concocted a constitution – all without reference to the people in any way.
Before the coup, the notorious ‘hidden hands’ made up crises in diesel, gasoline and electricity supplies, to force people to go out in June 30 demonstrations, which did not last one day, and which the military considered a popular revolution they supported, while ignoring the millions in all Egyptian public squares since June 28 and until today, never taking notice of their popular demands.
They even involved Egypt’s armed forces in the massacre of innocent citizens as they peacefully prayed at dawn on Monday July 8, 2013 killing more than 100 and injuring more than 1,000 in a horrid and repugnant crime unprecedented in the history of the Egyptian military where live bullets were fired into crowds of Egyptian worshipers by the of soldiers and officers of the armed forces and not thugs or gangsters, accompanied by arbitrary arrests and detention of thousands, and then framing and charging symbols of political figures, not criminals or thugs.
We further affirm that we take this position in complete rejection of this bloody military coup and all subsequent maneuvers, actions and processes. We demand the people's right to choose its officials: elected President, elected Shura Council, the Constitution as voted on by the people.
We invite our partners in the homeland, who claim that millions of people support them, to go for legislative elections that may bring them a parliamentary majority and thus enable them to form a government and amend the constitution, rather than rely on a military coup which will create untold crises for the entire homeland and pit people against the army on the one hand, and against each other, on the other hand.
We have seen enough evil of that repressive military State during the past week alone. We do not accept that the military should govern this country again, not after the long bitter experience over the past 60 years.
We have no quarrel with our brothers, our people, officers and soldiers of the armed forces, nor any dispute or conflict. They are the protector and strong shield of the homeland. Our problem is with those who involved the armed forces in these political conflicts and the spilling of Egyptian blood.
We will continue to resist this military coup in peaceful protests. We will not respond to any provocations. We will escalate our resistance through peaceful pressure using all available means and mechanisms. We will continue to work no matter how long it takes until the putschist coup commanders and collaborators are gone. Indeed, no matter what sacrifices we make in resisting the military coup, they will certainly be much less than the price the people will pay if this coup is allowed to take charge.
Therefore, we call on everyone to join us, to restore Egypt's dream of a democratic civil State that allows peaceful circulation of power, not the military police State meant to smother our freedoms for long decades to come as we wait for a new revolution.
- National Alliance in Support of Electoral Legitimacy (NASEL)