Tag: Husni Mubarak

"Farewell Friday": Mubarak did yesterday what he was required to do as President (transfer powers, amend constitution), so now what … ?

Today’s protests in Egypt were to be Jumua Sumud (Steadfastness Friday, in honor of those fallen in over three weeks of protests demanding freedom and democracy). but after Egypt’s President failed to announce his departure, as had been widely expected, they are now being called “Farewell Friday“.

In his speech on Thursday night, Husni Mubarak announced “in a speech from the heart, from a father to his children” that he had just (earlier in the day) “proposed amendments” to articles 76, 77, 88, 93, and 189 of the Egyptian constitution, and “annulment of article 179” (which, he said, “aimed to protect the nation against terrorists” (it is the basis for the State of Emergency).

This, Mubarak said, would “clear the way” to removing the Emergency Law “once the security situation is ensured”.

A few minutes later, after praising himself, Mubarak said “I have seen it is required to transfer powers to the Vice President”.

[CNN’s Wolf Blitzer reportedly asked Egypt’s Ambassador to the U.S. if Mubarak could take back his powers whenever he wanted — but got no answer]

Mubarak also vowed, in his stat “I will not separate from the soil until I’m buried beneath it”…

Here is an old photo (I took it on 24 June 2008) as Egyptian President Husni Mubarak’s small executive jet (in middle background) arrived at Sharm ash-Sheikh for a bi-annual summit meeting with Israel’s then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert:

Despite fears of violence and bloodshed overnight, it appears to have passed relatively calmly — the military avoided confrontations with the angry protesters who were furiously disappointed that Mubarak had not clearly announced his resignation.

Just after Mubarak’s statement, Egypt’s Vice-President called on protesters to go back to their homes, and to go to work… but that did not happen. Many thousands stayed overnight in Tahrir Square, while others went to surround the State TV studios, and to other governmental buildings. Many protesters in Alexandria said they were headed to a military headquarters.

Reports Friday morning say that Mubarak may now be in Sharm as-Sheikh, and that the military will make an “important announcement” before Friday prayers (which are due to start within the hour)…

An old photo (2008) – Mubarak's small exec jet arrives at Sharm al-Sheikh

Today’s pro-democracy and anti-Mubarak protests in Egypt have been named “Departure Day”.  The turnout in Tahrir Square is huge – many hundreds of thousands are present.  So far, no attacks from pro-Mubarak mobs…

This is an old photo (taken 24 June 2008) of Egyptian President Husni Mubarak’s small executive jet (in middle background) arriving at Sharm ash-Sheikh for a bi-annual summit meeting with Israel’s then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Wonder if  there is a small (Egyptian?) island somewhere nearby?

Now, in Egypt, the going gets tough

…The tough have already gotten going.

Last night, after Mubarak’s greatly-anticipated pre-recorded speech was broadcast to his nation and to the world, a new wave of pro-Mubarak people (many described as thugs, goons, some told journos they were state employees recruited for the occasion) were suddenly out on the streets of Egypt.

It is now being called the “backlash”… (AJE’s Jacky Rowland, who also said that “the atmosphere is deeply charged”.)

Where were they all week, asked Al-Jazeera’s Jane Dutton? And, the anchor asked the next correspondent up, why now?

“Because of the speech last night by President Mubarak”, Jacky Rowland replied.

The pro-government supporters are chanting: “we had 30 years of stability, and now 9 days of chaos. If one million are against Mubarak, 82 million are for him, We are the silent majority”…

The Egyptian military appealed, in a broadcast television statement, for the protestors to go home and resume normal life.

But, the protesters are saying that they won’t go home until Mubarak and his regime are out, gone.

UPDATE: The worst that can happen in a crowd situation has just happened: clashes after pro-Mubarak demonstrators threw stones at protesters in Tahrir Square: a stampede.

UPDATE TWO: Horses, camels, and donkeys were ridden or driven straight into the crowd at Tahrir Square. Some of the riders were pulled off, and protesters found they carried police ID cards (AJE showed on-air).

UPDATE THREE: More than an hour later, reports are coming that the entrances to Tahrir Square are now being blocked, trapping the protesters who are inside.

The U.S. has now lost its influence on the situation.
The U.S, has now lost its influence on the situation.

At least 1 out of every 80 Egyptians are already in the streets

UPDATE: Very late at night, after speaking to a special U.S. envoy (former Ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner), Husni Mubarak made a pre-recorded statement to the country. He said the protests have been heard, but that he would stay until elections now set for September (he would not run, he said. Mubarak also said he would not leave the country. Two hours later (after another 30-minute post-Mubarak-speech phone conversation), U.S. President Barack Obama said that “An orderly transition must be meaningful, must be peaceful and must begin now” Of course, it all depends on what one means by “begin”, and what one means by “now”… At least one million people were out on the streets throughout the country during the day — estimates ranged as high as 4 million, or even 8 million (one-tenth of the total population)…

Today is the “million-man (+ women)” march, which started in the morning.

Estimates by 10am were that there were at least 500,000 people already in Tahrir Square.

More people are continuing to stream to Tahrir Square, and demonstrators are also moving in other cities around the country.

One said (in an interview posted on Brian Whitaker’s blog, Al-Bab) that if the Egyptian government is satisfied that it is allowing “democratic expression” in Tahrir Square, then the idea would be to move, today, to protest in front of the Presidential Palace in Heliopolis.  The entire regime must go, this man said, not just the government…

The internet was totally shut down in Egypt last night (so much for U.S. President Obama’s call last Friday to turn it back on).

Snaps from Egypt

This via a recommendation on Twitter by Ali Abunimah [@avinunu]. It was posted to YouTube on 29 January. Al-Jazeera English just reported that it was filmed on Friday 28 January (the “day Egyptians lost their fear”,  the AJE narrator said), at what was labelled 6 October bridge but which someone in Cairo corrected to Qasr an-Nil bridge:

It was not until the next day that we began to get an idea, just an idea, of the death toll in the protests around Egypt.

Below, this report — a rare report from several hospital morgues around Egypt — gives a small glimpse of the casualties.

Estimates of the total figure has not been updated since mid-day Saturday.

No one knows, yet, how many have died at protests around Egypt in the past week.

According to other Tweets (just below), this is the video that got Al-Jazeera banned in Egypt.
@julieposetti RT @khadijapatel: This is the story from the Cairo morgue that got #AJE banned in #Egypt http://bit.ly/hl2Ow4 #jan25:

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