April 6 movement could drop support for Egypt's roadmap

Head of the April 6 Youth Movement blames interim rulers for failure to communicate with the group, crackdown on activists

The April 6 Youth Movement said on Thursday it was reconsidering backing the country's interim rulers, blaming them for failing to include the movement in Egypt's transitional roadmap.
"We are about to announce that we withdraw our support for the roadmap," group head Amr Ali told reporters on Thursday, citing numerous attempts by the group to offer government officials solutions to the country's political crisis. He said the offers fell on deaf ears.
Egypt has been hit by deep political turmoil since the army's July ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July after massive protests against his troubled, year-long rule. Authorities have since launched a sustained crackdown on Islamists, killing hundreds and arresting thousands more including top leaders of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement.
The country's transitional roadmap, set forth by an interim government after Morsi's removal, envisages an amended constitution to be passed in a month, and parliamentary and presidential elections to follow by mid-2014.
April 6 – which helped initiate the call for the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak – has slammed a recent clampdown by authorities on activists, saying that 12 of the group's members have been arrested.
Founder and former head Ahmed Maher – a symbol of the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak – had been issued an arrest order for organising an illegal protest in late November. Maher, along with other prominent activists, had been later detained for an accusation of assaulting policemen at another protest outside a Cairo court.
The group has vowed to ratchet up pressure on authorities against a new law that rights organisations have criticized for largely stifling street mobilisation. It has urged a week-long campaign against the disputed protest law planned to feature marches nationwide and street stickers condemning the legislation.
April 6 is a member of the recently-established Revolution Path Front, or "Revolutionaries," which opposes both Egypt's military rule and the Muslim Brotherhood.
The group has said that it is still mulling a stance on the country's new charter, finalised almost 10 days ago and due to be put to a public vote in mid-January. Amr said the movement inclines towards a 'No' vote, but that members are still casting internal votes on the matter.
April 6 backed Morsi in the 2012 presidential race, but later joined protests against the Muslim Brotherhood as the group attempted to concentrate power in the hands of Islamists. The group has come under fire by army supporters and private media who accuse it of serving a foreign agenda.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/88973.aspx