By Mustafa Caglayan
NEW YORK
Egyptians in New York held a rally Saturday to protest what several called the "hijacking" of their Jan. 25 Revolution by the army.
Several hundred protesters gathered on 6th Avenue, in midtown Manhattan, demanding that President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi step down on the fourth anniversary of the revolution that toppled ex-dictator Hosni Mubarak.
Chanting slogans like "Sisi killer" and "Free Egypt," the protesters formed the "Rabaa sign," -- four fingers raised in the air, thumb resting on the palm.
The sign has come to represent demonstrations protesting the July 2013 ouster of Egypt's first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi and the ensuing violence that killed hundreds of people.
One of the organizers of the rally, Omar Abou El-Kheir said the January 25 Revolution had been "hijacked" by the army through a "power grab" and "dirty politics."
"We will never let that go, and we will continue on this until democracy is restored in Egypt," he said.
The army-backed authorities in Egypt have launched a massive crackdown on Morsi supporters since his ouster, detaining thousands and killing hundreds.
Missy Crutchfield, an American who attended the protest, said anyone who stood for freedom and democracy in the world had to support anti-coup Egyptians.
"Every time Sisi steps foot on American soil and we allow this, it is a slap in the face of democracy and freedom," she said, adding that the Rabaa sign has become a universal sign for justice.
Peaceful demonstrators, who were joined by representatives of New York's Turkish community, later marched down the sidewalks of the 6th Avenue to Times Square, where they continued the rally chanting anti-coup slogans.
