Dr. Mohamed Beltagy, member of the Executive Office of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), stated that what happened in Egypt Saturday was a protest, not a general strike or civil disobedience.

The Reuters news agency quoted witnesses as saying that, in Cairo and other Egyptian cities, the call by activists for a general strike went largely unheeded on Saturday, and failed to provoke public interest, with government-run services and facilities working regularly as some protest marches and demonstrations were held.

In a statement to Ikhwanweb, Dr. Beltagy said, "The idea of civil disobedience is not likely to succeed. There is no need for that in Egyptian life or the revolutionary situation today".

He added, "Egypt needs continuation of peaceful protest, because there is still reason for action and pressure, in light of the continued state of rampant lawlessness and widespread insecurity – as witnessed in the massacre of Port Said – and the concerns regarding full transfer of power to civilians.

“We welcome the fact that revolutionary banners and demands on the scene reflect what the revolutionary transformation in Egypt actually needs, including peaceful protest pressure, in order to fully achieve the goals and the demands of the revolution and to accelerate full transfer of power to civilians", Dr. Beltagy concluded.