Tens of thousands of supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi marched through Cairo on Friday (August 2), demanding Morsi's reinstatement amidst a looming threat that Egyptian authorities would clear out two pro-Morsi sit-ins with force.

Also on Friday, Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood criticised the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for saying the Egyptian military was "restoring democracy" when it toppled Morsi.

Thousands responded to the Brotherhood's calls for protesters to come out in defiance of warnings from the new army-backed government to abandon their protest or face action from security forces.

International diplomats, rights groups and Egyptian religious leaders have appealed to authorities to avoid bloodshed.

Almost 300 people have died in political violence since Morsi was overthrown on July 3, including 80 of his supporters shot dead by security forces in a single incident last Saturday.

Morsi's supporters have rejected a transition process put in place by the military and its allies amongst Egypt's liberal political parties and even conservative Islamists.

Presented by Adam Justice