Month: January 2011

by Chris Bodenner

A reader raises a good point:

An hour and a half ago, the government announced Mubarak was going on TV.  He still hasn't. There are now reports that protesters are storming the broadcasting studios.  I think the fact Mubarak hasn't showed up yet is really important, but has sort of been forgotten in the excitement.

(Photo: Turkish Muslims carry portraits of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on January 28, 2011 during a protest against his regime at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul. By Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images).

Update: a reader translates:

FYI, the writing on the signs bearing Mubarak’s image say “Dictator Mubarak – Get out of Egypt.”

by Chris Bodenner

Guardian:

A member of ElBaradei's group told al-Jazeera there are 80,000 people protesting in Port Said, where she said a 14-year-old had been killed.

by Chris Bodenner

Another clip off YouTube conveying the power of today's protests:

More footage here, here, here, and here.

by Chris Bodenner

Via EA:

We are deeply concerned about the use of violence by Egyptian police and security forces against protesters, and we call on the Egyptian Goverment to do everything in its power to restrain the security forces. At the same time, protesters should also refrain from violence and express themselves peacefully.

We support the universal human rights of the Egyptian people, including the right to freedom of speech, of association, and of assembly. We urge the Egyptian authorities to allow peaceful protests and to reverse the unprecedented steps it has taken to cut off communications.

These protests underscore that there are deep grievances within Egyptian society and Egyptian Government needs to understand that violence will not make these grievances go away. As President Obama said yesterday, reform is absolutely critical to the well-being of Egypt.

Egypt has long been an important partner of the United States on a wide range of regional issues. As a partner, we strongly believe that the Egyptian Government needs to engage immediately with the Egyptian people in implementing needed economic, political, and social reforms. We continue to raise with the Egyptian Government — as we do with other governments in the region — the imperative for reform and greater openness and participation to provide a better future for all. We want to partner with the Egyptian people and their Government to realise their aspirations, to live in a democratic society that respects basic human rights.

A snap analysis from the Guardian's Brian Whittaker:

It looks to me as if Clinton is angling for a negotiated departure by Mubarak, accompanied by an increase in political freedom. I think the US is aiming to structure the solution in a way that would protect its key interests: the peace treaty with Israel, the Suez canal, and co-operation against terrorism.

by Chris Bodenner

Guardian:

A downtown police station in Cairo, police cars and gas tanks outside the police station are on fire, which could account for the number of loud explosions being heard, al-Jazeera reports.

EA:

Explosions continue in Cairo, but it is uncertain if live ammunition or rubber bullets are being used. Al Jazeera reports at least one police station is on fire and the gas tanks of some vehicles have exploded. … Loud explosions outside Al Jazeera's office near 6 October Bridge and the Foreign Ministry in Cairo.

NYT:

This image [above] from the home page of the Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm, is captioned: "Protesters set flame to the ruling National Democratic Party headquarters in downtown Cairo Friday around 6:30 p.m."

Another photo after the jump:

Police gather in Tahrir Square as a car burns on January 28, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. By Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images.

by Chris Bodenner

New footage surfaces on YouTube:

by Chris Bodenner

Here again is the link to Al Jazeera's live coverage of the escalating events in Egypt.

by Patrick Appel

American spokesmen have provided brief remarks on Egypt but Hillary Clinton is expected to make a statement any minute now. Marc Lynch's advice to Washington:

The administration has to get out in the next few hours with a strong public statement by a senior official, such as Secretary of State Clinton, which clearly lays out that using violence against citizens is a U.S. red line and which goes beyond "urging" or "hoping" that the Egyptian government responds. It's really important that the United States be clearly and unambiguously on the right side of these events, and not wait and see too long for it to matter. The public message should be paired with blunt private messages to the Egyptian government that there's no going back to business as usual, regardless of whether Mubarak rides out this storm in the short run.

His rationale:

Mubarak's regime has been wounded at its core, and even if he survives in the short run the regime will have to make major internal changes to regain any semblance of normality. An Egyptian regime which spends the next years in a state of military lockdown will hardly be a useful ally. It's not like there's an active peace process to compromise. The Islamist scarecrow shouldn't work, given the Muslim Brotherhood's limited role in events (despite the efforts of the Egyptian regime to claim otherwise).  

by Chris Bodenner

A Sky News reporter explains why the army has largely been unnecessary so far:

by Chris Bodenner

Mackey has more on the military's presence:

[Al-Masry Al-Youm, an independent Egyptian newspaper] posted a photograph showing Egyptian Army vehicles in central Cairo and explained why that might be a welcome sight to protesters:

Three army vehicles carrying dozens of soldiers drove down Qasr al-Nil Bridge early Friday evening. They were seen heading toward the headquarters of Egyptian State TV on Corniche al-Nil. The area also houses the ruling National Democratic Party headquarters and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Egyptian Army were previously twice deployed in Cairo in 1977 during bread riots and in 1986 to quell police riots. During the last six decades, the army has never fired on Egyptian civilians.

Meanwhile:

Army tanks are rolling into the centre of Cairo and Suez, al-Jazeera reports. Mubarak has supposedly ordered them in to restore order but people have been cheering the army hoping it will side with them against the police.

Why the tanks might have been called in:

Al Jazeera is showing images of a fire consuming part of the headquarters of the ruling National Democratic Party in Cairo.