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Saying Egypt’s president must go, a massive crowd of tens of thousands defied the government’s curfew and filled the streets and squares of downtown Cairo on Saturday in a resounding rejection of the longtime leader’s attempt to hang on to power with promises of reform and a new government.
Tanks and armored personnel carriers fanned out across the city of 18 million, guarding key government buildings. But the curfew was largely ignored -- by the looters who ran rampant, by protesters, and apparently by soldiers under orders to enforce it.
The death toll since the largest anti—government protests in decades began on Tuesday rose to 45, according to medical and security officials, 38 of them killed since Friday. Some 2,000 injuries have been reported.
In the city’s main Tahrir Square, at the center of Saturday’s massive demonstration, there was only a light military presence -- a few tanks -- and soldiers are not intervening. Few police were seen in the crowds and the protest began peacefully. Then police opened fire on some in the crowd near the Interior Ministry and a number of them were wounded by gunshots. It was not clear whether they used rubber bullets or live ammunition.
One army captain joined the demonstrators, who hoisted him on their shoulders while chanting slogans against President Hosni Mubarak. The officer ripped a picture of the president.
“We don’t want him! We will go after him!” demonstrators shouted. They decried looting and sabotage, saying- “Those who love Egypt should not sabotage Egypt!”
There have been no clashes reported between the military and the protesters, and many seem to feel the army is with them. On one tank was scrawled black graffiti- “Down with Mubarak.”
In contrast, protesters have scorned police, who are hated for their brutality.
On Friday, 17 police stations throughout Cairo were torched, with protesters stealing firearms and ammunition and setting some jailed suspects free. They also burned dozens of police trucks in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez.
On Saturday, protesters besieged a police station in the Giza neighborhood of Cairo, looted and pulled down Egyptian flags before burning the building to the ground.
The military was protecting major tourist and archaeological sites such as the Egyptian Museum, home to some of the country’s most treasured antiquities, as well as the Cabinet building. The pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo -- Egypt’s premiere tourist site -- were closed by the military to tourists.
On Friday, protesters burned down the headquarters of Mubarak’s political party along the Nile and set fire to many other buildings, roaming the streets of downtown Cairo in defiance of a night curfew enforced by the army. There was also widespread looting of supermarkets, shopping malls, casinos and offices of cell phone companies.
The demonstrators were not satisfied with Mr. Mubarak’s actions to address the discontent. The president of 30 years fired his Cabinet late Friday night and promised reforms, which many doubt he will deliver.
“What we want is for Mubarak to leave, not just his government,” Mohammed Mahmoud, a demonstrator in the city’s main Tahrir Square, said on Saturday. “We will not stop protesting until he goes.”
Mr. Mubarak, confronted with the most dire threat to his three decades of authoritarian rule, faced his nation for the first time since the unrest began. In a televised address at midnight, he made vague promises of social reform in what is likely to be interpreted as an attempt to cling to power rather than a genuine pledge solve Egypt’s pressing problems.
He also defended his security forces and accused the protesters of plotting to destabilise Egypt and destroy the legitimacy of his regime, outraging those still in the streets well into the night.
“We want Mubarak to go and instead he is digging in further,” protester Kamal Mohammad said. “He thinks it is calming down the situation but he is just angering people more.”
Tanks and armored personnel carriers fanned out across the city of 18 million, guarding key government buildings. But the curfew was largely ignored -- by the looters who ran rampant, by protesters, and apparently by soldiers under orders to enforce it.
The death toll since the largest anti—government protests in decades began on Tuesday rose to 45, according to medical and security officials, 38 of them killed since Friday. Some 2,000 injuries have been reported.
In the city’s main Tahrir Square, at the center of Saturday’s massive demonstration, there was only a light military presence -- a few tanks -- and soldiers are not intervening. Few police were seen in the crowds and the protest began peacefully. Then police opened fire on some in the crowd near the Interior Ministry and a number of them were wounded by gunshots. It was not clear whether they used rubber bullets or live ammunition.
One army captain joined the demonstrators, who hoisted him on their shoulders while chanting slogans against President Hosni Mubarak. The officer ripped a picture of the president.
“We don’t want him! We will go after him!” demonstrators shouted. They decried looting and sabotage, saying- “Those who love Egypt should not sabotage Egypt!”
There have been no clashes reported between the military and the protesters, and many seem to feel the army is with them. On one tank was scrawled black graffiti- “Down with Mubarak.”
In contrast, protesters have scorned police, who are hated for their brutality.
On Friday, 17 police stations throughout Cairo were torched, with protesters stealing firearms and ammunition and setting some jailed suspects free. They also burned dozens of police trucks in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez.
On Saturday, protesters besieged a police station in the Giza neighborhood of Cairo, looted and pulled down Egyptian flags before burning the building to the ground.
The military was protecting major tourist and archaeological sites such as the Egyptian Museum, home to some of the country’s most treasured antiquities, as well as the Cabinet building. The pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo -- Egypt’s premiere tourist site -- were closed by the military to tourists.
On Friday, protesters burned down the headquarters of Mubarak’s political party along the Nile and set fire to many other buildings, roaming the streets of downtown Cairo in defiance of a night curfew enforced by the army. There was also widespread looting of supermarkets, shopping malls, casinos and offices of cell phone companies.
The demonstrators were not satisfied with Mr. Mubarak’s actions to address the discontent. The president of 30 years fired his Cabinet late Friday night and promised reforms, which many doubt he will deliver.
“What we want is for Mubarak to leave, not just his government,” Mohammed Mahmoud, a demonstrator in the city’s main Tahrir Square, said on Saturday. “We will not stop protesting until he goes.”
Mr. Mubarak, confronted with the most dire threat to his three decades of authoritarian rule, faced his nation for the first time since the unrest began. In a televised address at midnight, he made vague promises of social reform in what is likely to be interpreted as an attempt to cling to power rather than a genuine pledge solve Egypt’s pressing problems.
He also defended his security forces and accused the protesters of plotting to destabilise Egypt and destroy the legitimacy of his regime, outraging those still in the streets well into the night.
“We want Mubarak to go and instead he is digging in further,” protester Kamal Mohammad said. “He thinks it is calming down the situation but he is just angering people more.”