Workers Solidarity Movement

Friday was declared 'Departure Friday' by democracy protesters in Egypt as a second Friday of mass protest was been called to drive president Mubarak from his 30 year reign. Huge numberstook part in these protests.

Recent days have seen intense street fighting as protesters had to defend themselves from mobs mobilised in a desperate bid by Mubarak to hold onto power.  Meanwhile there are dozens of disturbing reports of secret police arresting protesters at their homes and workplaces.  There has also been a sustained violent campaign against journalists which has forced the majority of them off the streets and onto balconies around the square.  On Friday morning Aj Jazeera had its Cairo offices trashed.

An enormous demonstration took place in Cairo, Al Jazeera estimated it involved two million people.  Alexandria also had a huge demonstration, a journalist on Al Jazeera has described it as the biggest ever, numbering hundreds of thousands if not millions. The huge crowd chanted 'the people demand the collapse of the regime, the people demand the collapse of the president'  and 'Leave, leave, leave.'  In Tahir square they chanted 'The Pharaoh is a traitor.'  100,000 protesters were reported to have gathered in Damanhour, about 100 miles north west of Cairo.  25,000 were said to be demonstrating in Suez, 30,000 protesters in Tanta.  Estimates as high as 5 million have been given for the number of demonstrators across Egypt. Around curfew the crowd went wild in Tahir square, it turned out a false rumor had swept the crowd that Mubarak had resigned.  When it was realised the rumor was false they then started chanting 'he will soon'.

The ongoing repression of the press is shown by the fact Al Jazeera is having to 'broadcast' via broadband and for security reasons is unable to name the specific journalists reporting from the protests, they have already had many journalists arrested. Jack Shenker from the Guardian has reported that he and another journalist were picked up by the army and made to kneel facing a wall and interrogated. They then had to deal with machete-wielding vigilantes. "We were taken at a checkpoint and led to the ministry of the interior … We were held for two hours … and we were both warned that if we came anywhere near the square again, things wouldn't go so nicely for us."

There were only limited signs of the pro regime mob that attacked demonstrations earlier in the week and whom many on the ground claimed included large numbers of serving policemen and criminals who had been released from jail and paid $17 to attack the protests.  Reporters say that the protesters have well organised groups screening people as they approach the demonstration to check ID's and for weapons. Al Jazeera has shown a picture of a secret policeman with his ID who was discovered infiltrating the crowd.  There are several layers of checkpoints including military ones checking people on the way to demonstrations. A small pro Mubarak demonstration of around 3,000 was been reported in Giza with claims that people have been paid to attend but Al Jazeera is reporting that among the crowd in Tahir square are those who say they previously opposed the democracy movement but have now been won over.  

Al Jazeera also reports that around 300 members of Mubarak gang were seen near one of the bridges to the square where some of the most intense fighting happened earlier in the week.  Small confrontations weren reported near the square, including some rock throwing battles. Later in the afternoon a mob of 500 Mubarak supporters tried to cross the 6th October Bridge towards the demonstration but were blocked by an army tank which drove onto the bridge.  Unlike earlier in the week it appears the army is intervening to prevent clashes, perhaps indicative of a shift within the command.

On Thursday night a sniper shot a number of protesters near Tahir square, apparently with a military long range rifle.  As the same time newly appointed Vice President Suleiman was announcing some minor concessions on TV as the regime tried to cling to power.  Thursday also saw the regime also threw overboard some ministers who are particularly associated with Mubarak.  This included the former Minister of the Interior who has been told not to leave the country and whose assets have been frozen, the same thing happened to the Tourism Minister and the Housing Minister as well as a member of the ruling council of the NDP who is one of Egypt's major billionaires.  In the case of the former Interior Minister the new Interior Minister announced that he was also being investigated as to why he had ordered the police off the streets last Friday and what connection he had with the chaos of the last few days.  All this indicates a regime willing to make sacrifices to hold onto power, it is not fundamental reform, something confirmed by the wave of repression that has been unleashed by the secret police against democracy activists.

On Friday Rachid Mohamed Rachid the former minister of trade was added to this list when it was announced he was his having assets frozen - he owns a significant stake in the Egyptian operation of Unilever demonstrating the same sort of connections between those with political power and the richest 1% of the population that we find in Ireland and everywhere else.  State TV carried an interview with a protester where a statement was read out, at this point its not clear if this represented a shift at one of the regimes core prop's or a dirty trick as the person reading the statement went on to say the protests were organised by the Muslim brotherhood.

Those targetted for these arrests have included bloggers.  One who blogs and tweets as sandmonkey was arrested as he drove a car with medical supplies to Tahir square on the 3rd.  However as an indication of the declining power of the regime they were forced to release him due to the enormous attention the arrest received, on release they tweeted that "I am ok. I got out. I was ambushed & beaten by the police, my phone confiscated , my car ripped apar& supplies taken .. Please don't respond to my phone or BBM. This isn't me. My phone was confiscated by a thug of an officer who insults those who call."

Sandmonkeys last blog written after hours of the protesters in Tahir square just before arrest was very dark, warning that "I have no illusions about this regime or its leader, and how he will pluck us and hunt us down one by one till we are over and done with and 8 months from now will pay people to stage fake protests urging him not to leave power, and he will stay "because he has to acquiesce to the voice of the people". This is a losing battle and they have all the weapons, but we will continue fighting until we can't. I am heading to Tahrir right now with supplies for the hundreds injured, knowing that today the attacks will intensify, because they can't allow us to stay there come Friday, which is supposed to be the game changer. We are bringing everybody out, and we will refuse to be anything else than peaceful. If you are in Egypt, I am calling on all of you to head down to Tahrir today and Friday. It is imperative to show them that the battle for the soul of Egypt isn't over and done with. I am calling you to bring your friends, to bring medical supplies, to go and see what Mubarak's gurantees look like in real life. Egypt needs you. Be Heroes." 

Since then the mob has been called off and elements of the regime as we have seen are trying to buy the movement off with concessions and by ditching some ministers.  The question remains as to whether the enormous movement on the streets will accept this as enough or whether it will organise to sweep all of them from power.  As the ongoing repression shows it is far too early to be sure that Mubarak will go without a major massacre.

WORDS: Andrew

Read more on the Revolt in Egypt

Tweeter coverage

We are retweeting selected tweets to the WSMIreland twitter account, we are archiving them here from time to time

This section counts backwards from 3.40 GMT

Reports say there are as much as 5 Million Egyptians protesting
today in #EGYPT of the #DayofDeparture.
33 minutes ago
RT @AlArabiya_Eng: The #egyptian general attorney freezes the
bank accounts of Rasheed Mohamed rasheed former minister of
trade #egypt # ...
7 minutes ago
RT @lindseyhilsum: Alexandria protestors singing 'there's an end
to every dictator' to the tune of the national anthem. #egypt
@channel4news
20 minutes ago

minaelia EgyptNews
Kar el nil bridge is covered with people heading to #Tahrir. #Egypt
#jan25 #Cairo
20 minutes ago

tvnewser TVNewser
CBS News correspondent Lara Logan detained in #Egypt, is
released. mediabistro.com/tvnewser/lara-…
21 minutes ago

Marwa_Alasar Marwa Al-A'sar
25,000 protest now in Gheish street in Suez joined by ex-pro-
Mubarak protesters #Egypt #Jan25 #Suez
34 minutes ago

lukeallnutt Luke Allnutt
Two of my colleagues,RFE/RL reporters,have been detained in
Cairo.They're being held in a police station. http://tiny.cc/5iwlc
#jan25 #Egypt
38 minutes ago

gnargl nacktnasenwombat
RT @evanchill: The pro mubarak crowd just started the "where is
al jazeera the egyptian people are here" #egypt
31 minutes ago

LisaLaFlammeCTV lisa laflamme
Egyptians in square beg us to keep covering their story and not be
intimidated by pro-m thugs. Can't use TV gear, only Iphone. #egypt
2 hours ago

TheMiinz Menna Alaa
El Baradei didn't even head to Tahrir today. Maybe he's too busy
calling Obama? #Egypt #jan25
1 hour ago

NiceBastard Dorin Popa
Al Jazeera: Over 300 Mubarak-loyalists on the 6th of October
bridge now. An army tank has moved position to confront them.
#egypt #jan25
1 hour ago

Tymlee Michelle Matthews
RT @evanchill Rock throwing betw protesters & mub supporters
has erupted in Talaat harb square 40 meters ahead of me. #egypt
#tahrir #jan25
1 hour ago

NicRobertsonCNN Nic Robertson
Mood --almost celebratory but serious, trucks with huge speakers
belting out nationalist tunes from Nasser era#Mubarak out #egypt
#jan25
1 hour ago

Modomodo Maud Descamps
RT @washingtonpost Two of our employees, a translator and a
driver, have been released by authorities in #Egypt
http://wapo.st/fdHmRq
1 hour ago

evanchill Evan Hill
The protesters have beaten back pro mubarak crowd at talaat harb
and now the whole street is chanting "the people want the system
to fall"
1 hour ago

TamerELG Tamer El-Ghobashy
Inside Tahrir: man holding tea passes man who asks where he
can get some. Man w tea hands it over and says he brought it for
him. #egyptians
2 hours ago
RT @lissnup: #Egypt: El Baradei told AJA he met 9 protest leaders
last night, all arrested afterward "these are Mubarak's promises"
#Jan25
1 hour ago
RT @sharifkouddous On a balcony now with birds-eye view. Tahrir
is an ocean of people. This is simply massive. #Egypt @cspanwj
2 hours ago
From @hamish6PM : just witnessed Egyptian military using tasers
on detained demonstrators behind the #Egypt TV bldg #6PM
#jan25 #tahrir
2 hours ago
#Egypt: 3 MPs from ruling party NDP resign in sympathy w
protesters http://tinyurl.com/6egmefh #Jan25 #sidibouzid
2 hours ago
Al Jazeera Bureau in Cairo broken into, it is being destroyed or
already has been.. Al Jazeera got already banned by Mubarak
#jan25
2 hours ago
AlJazeera offices have been entered by thugs & totally trashed
#Jan25 (via @AJArabic)
2 hours ago
Pro-Mubarak protesters are amassing near #Tahreer. I can see
them now near Ramsis as I'm getting out of the square to get
more meds #Jan25
2 hours ago
rajeshpandit Rajesh Pandit
"@Sandmonkey: Friday prayer over and we're making our way
inside. Today's gonna be HUGE! #jan25 http://twitpic.com/3wcsln"
2 hours ago

Brian_Whit Brian Whitaker
Amr Mousa, head of Arab League, and former foreign minister of
Egypt, seen in Tahrir Square (AJ Arabic). #Jan25 #Egypt
2 hours ago

matthewteller Matthew Teller
BBC Jim Muir -how do they increase pressure? Paralysing
economy already, tourism down, banks closed. Very little
economic activity #egypt
2 hours ago

deena_adel Deena
:) RT @bencnn: Very upbeat atmosphere in #tahrir. Peaceful,
friendly, welcoming, dedicated, determined. This is the real #Egypt.
2 hours ago

sarahbethlynch Sarah Lynch
People down here are saying there is no plan to march to the
presidential palace today. they are staying until #Mubarak steps
down. #Egypt
2 hours ago

Sandmonkey Sandmonkey
Military Police and Paratroopers are filling Roxy Square in
Heliopolis. Reports of this happening in areas near presidential
palace. #jan25
3 hours ago

WSMIreland Workers Solidarity
Departure Friday for Mubarak - millions protest in Egypt: Today has
been declared 'Departure Friday' by democr... http://bit.ly/iiA0Hk
2 hours ago

Sandmonkey Sandmonkey
Tahrir is bursting to its seams from people, and thousands more
coming. They could end up filling the area until the 6 October
bridge.#jan25
3 hours ago

JamalDajani Jamal Dajani
Demonstrators chanting at Tahrir Square, "the Pharaoh is a traitor"
#Egypt #jan25
3 hours ago

ashrafkhalil ashraf khalil
Kasr el Nil Bridge--which was thug property yesterday has been
secured. Thousands more waiting to get in through multiple
patdowns #Egypt
3 hours ago

AJELive AJELive
About 3,000 people rally in support of President #Mubarak in in
#Giza, the third largest city in #Egypt. http://aje.me/ajelive #jan25
3 hours ago

ITwitius Tim Marshall
#Egypt Spoke to young man in sq. Says they may NOT march on
Prez Palace as could lose control of square. Watch this round
space...
4 hours ago

jmcesteves JM Cerqueira Esteves

RT @anjucomet: Inside Tahrir. Spirits are high but people are
already worried about a Suleiman dictatorship #jan25 #egypt
4 hours ago

iyad_elbaghdadi Iyad El-Baghdadi
Aljazeera: Over a million now at #Tahrir Square #Egypt #Jan25
#Mubarak