Hany Helal the Minister of Higher Education maintained during a students' conference in Alexandria that there would be no concession to Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei in the event of him speaking with the universities staff and students to discuss politics. He asserted that ElBaradei would be welcome so long as he came as an academic and not a politician.

The minister alleged that the former IAEA chief had no right to engage in politics inside the universities, highlighting that he forbid the university premises to be turned into a battlefield.
Helal claimed that while he encouraged student participation in politics, he believed it should only happen without any intervention from external forces and should adhere to university policy.