USA: Egyptian-Americans rally across from the U.N. in a show of support for the army-backed government

Record ID: 214067

  • Title: USA: Egyptian-Americans rally across from the U.N. in a show of support for the army-backed government
  • Date: 28th September 2013
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 28, 2013) (AGENCY POOL) UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS WITH RALLY ACROSS THE STREET IN SUPPORT OF THE EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT PROTESTERS CHANTING AND WAVING FLAGS VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING 'WE SUPPORT THE EGYPTIAN ARMY' CROWD WITH POSTER OF EGYPTIAN GENERAL ABDEL FATTAH AL-SISI (SOUNDBITE) (English) IHAB IBRAHIM, ONE OF THE RALLY ORGANIZERS, SAYING: "We are basically saying is what happened in Egypt on that day was definitely a revolution. That 33 million people went to the street for a reason. They wanted Egypt to be a democratic and secular country and basically the message for everybody in the United Nations is very simple. A, we are an independent and secular country and we don't want anybody to interfere in our process. B, that basically we have a roadmap and we're going to follow this roadmap and see that in six months we're going to have a new constitution, a new president and we're going to be on our way to democracy so just let it be." VARIOUS OF CROWD CHANTING "EGYPTIAN UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED" (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IHAB IBRAHIM, ONE OF THE RALLY ORGANIZERS, SAYING: (Approximate translation) "We are basically saying is what happened in Egypt on that day was definitely a revolution. That 33 million people went to the street for a reason. They wanted Egypt to be a democratic and secular country and basically the message for everybody in the United Nations is very simple. A, we are an independent and secular country and we don't want anybody to interfere in our process. B, that basically we have a roadmap and we're going to follow this roadmap and see that in six months we're going to have a new constitution, a new president and we're going to be on our way to democracy so just let it be." PROTESTER AND CROWD CHANTING WOMEN WITH FLAGS SINGING RALLY (SOUNDBITE) (English) YOUSEF MANSOUR, ACTOR, SAYING: "Well I was hoping that we all tell the western world that what happened in Egypt is not a coup. You cannot get 30 to 40 million people out to ask for democracy and you call it a coup. VARIOUS OF RALLY IN SUPPORT OF EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT MAN AND CHILDREN AT RALLY MORSI SUPPORTERS A FEW BLOCKS FROM RALLY ARGUING WITH A PRO-GOVERNMENT SUPPORTER HOLDING A SIGN AND AN EGYPTIAN FLAG PRO-MORSI SUPPORTERS CHANTING 'DOWN, DOWN SISI, BROTHERHOOD FOREVER' 'MORSI, MORSI'
  • Embargoed: 13th October 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEYDNGOGP561LBATNH9YJ9GLI8
  • Story Text: A large rally of Egyptian-Americans that support the army-controlled government in Egypt took place in New York on Saturday (September 28) across the street from the United Nations.
    As Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy addressed the UN's General Assembly inside, hundreds of supporters of his government chanted "we support the Egyptian Army" outside.

    "We are basically saying is what happened in Egypt on that day was definitely a revolution," said event organizer Ihab Ibrahim, describing the mass protest that occurred on June 30 where millions of Egyptians turned out in Tahir square calling for the removal of then-president Mohammad Morsi.

    "They wanted Egypt to be a democratic and secular country and basically the message for everybody in the United Nations is very simple. A, we are an independent and secular country and we don't want anybody to interfere in our process. B, that basically we have a roadmap and we're going to follow this roadmap and see that in six months we're going to have a new constitution, a new president and we're going to be on our way to democracy so just let it be," added Ibrahim.
    The army overthrew Mursi in July following the mass protests against his rule.
    Many Egyptians became disillusioned with Mursi after he gave himself sweeping powers and mismanaged the economy, taking to the streets in protest and prompting the army move.
    They now revere the man who toppled Mursi - army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and in the rally in New York posters of the Sisi were in abundance.
    Egyptian actor Yousef Mansour was at the rally and strongly supports the army-controlled government. He said he hopes the rally's show of support for General Sisi gets through to the world leaders inside the U.N.

    "I was hoping that we all tell the western world that what happened in Egypt is not a coup. You cannot get 30 to 40 million people out to ask for democracy and you call it a coup," said Mansour Not all Egyptian-Americans are government supporters. Pro-Morsi supporters also held a rally and afterward some of them could be seen arguing with supporters of the army-controlled government.
    In Egypt Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party has seen hundreds of its members killed and thousands arrested since the July 3rd overthrow of Morsi.
    Likewise, the number of militant attacks on the army has risen as well, with most of them limited to the relatively lawless Sinai, near Israel and the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
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