Egypt activists plan day of civil disobedience to mark Mubarak ouster

PanARMENIAN.Net - Activists plan a day of civil disobedience in Egypt on Saturday, Feb 11, to mark the first anniversary since they toppled Hosni Mubarak but left an increasingly unpopular but defiant military in charge, AFP reports.

The call for strikes in universities and workplaces comes after a series of protests pressuring the military to transfer power immediately to civilians, rather than wait for planned presidential elections later this year.

The military, headed by Mubarak's long-time defense minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, has said it will deploy additional troops across the country in response to the calls for a day of disobedience.

On Friday, thousands of protesters snaked through Cairo's streets to bypass military cordons and reach the defense ministry, chanting "Down with military rule!"

In a statement read out on state television late on Friday, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) said it would not bow to threats or plots against the state.

"We will never yield to threats, and we will never give in to pressure," the SCAF said. "We tell you quite frankly that our dear Egypt faces plans aimed at striking at the heart of our revolution. We are facing plots against the nation aiming to undermine the institutions of the Egyptian state, and to topple the state itself so that chaos reigns."