Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he’s not scared and urged Egyptians not to be scared either, mentioning several national projects costing LE1.3 trillion during a speech to celebrate the wheat harvest in Farafra.

The celebration is part of a national project that aims to increase agricultural land in Egypt by 1.5 million fedans. 10 thousand fedans have already been made available in the first phase of the initiative, the Agriculture Ministry said. 

The speech followed an emergency general assembly meeting at the Journalists Syndicate on Wednesday in reaction to the storming of the syndicate on Sunday by security forces and the arrest of two journalists. The syndicate announced several decisions at the end of the meeting, including demanding an apology from the presidency.

While he didn’t directly address mounting anger from journalists, Sisi said some citizens in Alexandria told him not to be scared.

“To the people who tell me not to be scared, I tell you not to be scared, as long as Egyptians are united, don’t be scared, we should take care because there are people working on creating divisions between us,” he said.

Sisi asserted several times during the course of his speech that he “doesn’t get scared.” He reminded Egyptians of the removal of former President Mohamed Morsi in June 2013 by the Armed Forces.

“The one who gives a seven-day ultimatum and then gives a 48-day ultimatum doesn’t get scared,” he said, alluding to the deadline he gave Morsi to respond to the demands of the people before the Armed Forces forcibly removed him from power.

Sisi also spoke about national projects that have been implemented over the last two years, saying they cost LE1.3 trillion (US$150 billion dollars).

“I don’t get scared, if I got scared none of these projects would be carried out, not now and not in ten years,” he said.