‘Even Morsi’s supporters got fed up and turned against him’

Ousted President Mohamed Morsi garnered more dissenters than his predecessor, according to a Maltese Jesuit who has been in Egypt for 30 years. Following the original euphoria, Morsi became more and more unpopular as the country started going from bad to worse, and even former supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood eventually got fed up and turned against it, Fr Anthony Fenech told this newspaper. “A youth movement called Tamarrod-Rebels circulated papers asking President Morsi to step down. Incredibly they seem to have collected many more signatures than the number of votes Morsi gained to be elected president,” Fr Fenech said. And then, on the last day of June, demonstrations filled Tahrir square and other parts of the capital, exceeding the size of the crowds that had forced Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow. Fr Fenech said these demonstrations were recorded in great numbers in all major cities in the provinces – something that had not been seen during the ousting of Mubarak. Claiming legitimacy, Morsi refused to step down. “But it was obvious this legitimacy was very much in question. It was the unanimous call of the demonstrators, who were protesting peacefully but loudly, that the...