CAIRO: A group calling itself the May 4 Movement is calling for a march on Thursday in support of incumbent President Hosni Mubarak. In what it describes as a “day in support of the leader of the new thought brigade,” the Facebook group urges Egyptians to join the march, scheduled to take place at noon on Oct. 14. The march will begin at the Nour Mosque in Abbaseyya, Cairo and end at the Gomhuria Palace. The May 4 Movement — named after Mubarak's birthday — describes itself as a “independent, nationalist” group that “supports President Mubarak's policies and the efforts he has exerted to realize stability and security in the region and [enhancing the nation's status].” In the event of Hosni Mubarak not nominating himself for a sixth presidency term in 2011, the group — which has 918 members — says it will support Mubarak's son Gamal if he stands for election. “President Mubarak has proved that he is the security valve in this country, the true guardian of democracy and the instigator of the development revolution in contemporary Egypt,” the May 4 Movement writes on its Facebook group's page. “He is also the father of all Egyptians and for this reason this group was established in order to say to Mubarak, ‘Egypt needs your wisdom…your efforts towards pushing forward development and progress in the nation.” One of the Facebook group's administrators, Wael El-Toukhy, told independent daily Al-Shorouk that the group has not secured the permission of security bodies for the march — as required under Egypt's emergency laws — and will not do so. “We are demanding that we be given the same treatment as demonstrations by the political opposition which are held without permission,” he said. Local and international NGOs frequently criticize the police's quashing of demonstrations by opposition groups and use of force against demonstrators. The last march in Cairo by leftist, which was organized by leftist activists and 6 April Youth Movement members on June 20, was met with violence and mass arrests. The May 4 Movement says that the march aims “to let the world know that Egyptians stand united behind Mubarak.” “Egypt has 85 million citizens and 4,000 political opponents [of the Mubarak regime]. We have the right to political participation and invite all of you to come together on this day of meaningful activity driven by love for Egypt.” According to El-Toukhy, a factory owner in 10 Ramadan City has given his 1,300 employees a day off so that they can take part in the march. Three buses will also transport people from Sharqiya and Tenth of Ramadan City to the march, El-Toukhy told Al-Shorouk.
