(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Protesters gathered in Egypt's capital on Friday on the second anniversary of the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak, as thousands made their way to Cairo's Tahrir Square and the surrounding streets chanting against the Muslim Brotherhood.
Some protesters had already spent the night, after police clashed Thursday with protesters who tried to dismantle a wall of concrete blocks closing a street leading to the square.
Some demonstrators hurled rocks at riot police who responded with tear gas grenades. The interior ministry said five policemen were injured and appealed to demonstrators to avoid confrontation with the security forces.
The secular-leaning opposition has called for mass protests against Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood from which Mursi hails.
"Go out into the squares to finally achieve the objectives of the revolution," opposition leader and former head of the U's atomic agency Mohamed ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account.
Friday's demonstrators gathered at Tahrir Square, iconic birthplace of the 2011 revolution against former President Hosni Mubarak, and in front of the presidential palace, where anti-Mursi rallies last December erupted into deadly clashes with Brotherhood supporters.
Rallies were staged elsewhere, notably in Egypt's second city Alexandria, and the authorities have prepared for a heavy security presence, an official told Agence France Presse (AFP).
The Muslim Brotherhood has not officially called for its own rallies, instead marking the anniversary by launching a charitable and social initiative dubbed "Together we will build Egypt."
“COUNTER-REVOLUTION LED BY MUBARAK REMNANTS”
In a speech marking the birthday of Prophet Mohamad (pbuh), Mursi urged Egyptians to spend the anniversary in a "peaceful and civilized way."
He slammed the opposition, describing them as remnants of the Hosni Mubarak regime who are trying to plunge the country into deep troubles as it struggles to recover from economic woes.
"The counter-revolution is being led by remnants of ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s regime to obstruct everything in the country," he said at the Azhar Conference Hall in Cairo.
Mursi also called on the Egyptian people to direct their efforts towards work and production and provide a “suitable environment for investment.”
“We will remove all the obstacles in the way of Egyptian, Arab and foreign investors to encourage them to work in Egypt,” he said, before calling on foreign-based Egyptians to invest in their country.
“I hope all groups will remain peaceful during [the anniversary's] celebrations,” he added.
“The revolution was a turning point in Egypt's history. Egyptians have achieved unlimited freedoms and a constitution that reduced the president's powers.
“A structural reform is taking place in the state’s institutions to fulfill the revolution’s demands. I’m also working with the government to solve the problems of slum areas in Egypt.”
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