Hundreds of protesters gathered near the presidential palace in Heliopolis for a protest called “the Final Warning,” in which several political powers that reject the constitutional declaration issued by Mohamed Morsy and the draft constitution, scheduled to be put to a nationwide referendum on 15 December, are participating.
The protesters, who gathered on Mirghany and Ibrahim al-Laqqany streets, both close to Ittihadiya Palace, could not reach the palace after security cordoned off all streets leading up there with barbed wire.
The protesters chanted, "We want bread, freedom and the to bring down Constituent Assembly" and "Down with the rule of the [Muslim Brotherhood] Supreme Guide."
One of the officers securing the palace prevented two ambulances from driving by. The officer told Al-Masry Al-Youm that he was given orders not to allow vehicles to drive by or people to gather around the palace.
Meanwhile, the Freedom and Justice Party’s media adviser, Mourad Ali, preemptively laid responsibility for any violence at the presidential palace during protests on Tuesday on the opposition.
"We welcome protests anywhere, so long as they are peaceful without any form of violence or hindering work of state institutions," he told reporters. "We staged protests last Saturday. Millions took part. No cases of harassment or attacks on anyone or state buildings erupted."
Ali laid responsibility on Constitution Party Chief Mohamed ElBaradei, Popular Current Head Hamdeen Sabbahi, former MP Amr Hamzawy and Wafd Party chief Al-Sayed al-Badawy for violence that could take place during the protests. "Like we shouldered responsibility of protests and succeeded in organizing them, they should bear responsibility of protests they called for as well.”
Political forces had called earlier for protests Tuesday in front of the presidential palace against the constitutional declaration issued by President Mohamed Morsy on 22 November. Two marches will be staged from the Nour and Rabaa al-Adaweya mosques to the presidential palace, while a sit-in in Tahrir Square continues.
Demonstrators gathered in Tahrir Tuesday before marching. The demonstrations were sparked by the political crisis that resulted after the declaration, which protected the Shura Council and Constituent Assembly from being dissolved and made Morsy’s decisions unchallengeable.
