Mahmoud Badr

In 2013, Badr and four other activists who founded the Tamarod movement organized a campaign with the aim of gathering over 15 million signatures petitioning President Morsi to leave office and call for early presidential elections. The 15 million signatures goal was meant to defeat the roughly 13 million votes Morsi received during the 2012 presidential elections. The number claim was never verified by an independent source, especially the rise in number by millions in a very short number of days. Many admitted to signing the same form up to 20 times. The mass demonstrations that were launched on 30 June were followed by the military's intervention on 3 July, ousting Morsi and suspending the constitution. Badr was among the figures who flanked army chief General Abdul Fatah al-Sisi when the latter announced Morsi's removal from power. Prior to al-Sisi's announcement, Badr, Ahmed el-Tayeb of al-Azhar Mosque, Coptic Pope Tawadros and others were invited to meet with military officials to find a solution to end the nationwide unrest. When al-Sisi suggested to Badr that Tamarod make a compromise and allow for a referendum to be held on whether or not Morsi should be allowed to continue his term, Badr rejected the proposal, stating "I tell you, sir, you may be the general commander of the Egyptian army but the Egyptian people are your supreme commander, and they are immediately ordering you to side with their will and call an early presidential election." Badr publicly praised the August 2013 Rabaa massacre of pro-Morsi protest camps by military and police that led to hundreds of casualties. He also called for the creation of anti-Muslim Brotherhood militia. ==References==