The most iconic youth figure of Egypt's 2011 revolution has asked Islamist President Mohammed Morsi to step down ahead of planned protests to force him out on June 30.
In a video message posted on the Internet today, Wael Ghonim accused Morsi of reneging on promises he made ahead of his 2012 election. The president, he said, must act like a "patriotic Egyptian" and step down to prevent "strife" he said Egypt was headed to.
Many Egyptians have been alarmed by statements from Morsi supporters vowing to "smash" the protesters. Several hard-line Islamists have declared the protesters infidels whose killing is justified.
Morsi's supporters say that his opponents should try to remove him through the ballot box, and attempting to force him out is an attack on electoral legitimacy.
