Tens of thousands of Egyptians have packed into squares and marched along streets in Cairo to protest against the military overthrow of president Mohamed Morsi, and the United States called for the first time for him to be freed.
Crowds in Nasr City were chanting anti-military slogans, calling Abdul Fatah al-Sisi, the country’s army chief, a traitor for removing of Morsi from office last week.
Thousands of people were bused in from outside the capital to join the sit-in at Rabaa El Adaweiya Mosque on Friday.
A large crowd of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood supporters made its way along Ramses Street, close to Tahrir Square, and hundreds were on 6 October Bridge, where some of the worst clashes with anti-Morsi demonstrators took place a week ago.
On Tahrir, thousands more people gathered to attend a celebration of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, organised by groups who had called for Mursi’s resignation.
In a separate development, the United States called on Egypt’s military to free Morsi. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US agreed with Germany’s earlier appeal for Morsi to be released and was “publicly” making the same request.
Morsi has been held in a “safe place,” according to Egypt’s interim leaders, and has not been seen in public since his ouster on July 3.
