An Egyptian military spokesperson has defended army chief General al-Sisi’s controversial call for protests on Friday, denying it was an incitement to violence. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is also Egypt’s new defence minister, called on Wednesday for Egyptians to demonstrate in order to give security forces “a mandate to confront possible violence and terrorism\", a move Muslim Brotherhood supporters decried as an “announcement of civil war\". Also speaking on Wednesday, army spokesman Ahmed Ali denied the accusation, saying Sisi’s invitation was aimed at confronting the violence and terrorism that threaten the security of the country.