Egyptians in the various governorates estimate that nearly 20 million people have taken to the streets today (February 11, 2011). All sectors of Egyptian civil society have joined as associations showing their professional identity: doctors, lawyers, journalists, etc. Protestrs are chanting: "Depart means leave," "Mubarak the pilot: how did you accumulate 70 billion?" "Husni Mubarak is Fraud, Omar Sulieman is Fraud" and "revolution, revolution until victory." If one excludes the population groups of below 12 and above 65, the sick and those who are home to care for them, one can reasonablly say that most Egyptians are voting in a referundum unparalled in modern history.
They are calling on the various military units in the field to join them. They are moving peacefully on the symbols of state power: pesidential palaces, government TV station buildings and other state installations. In Cairo, the demonstrators are now facing off the heavily armed troops and snipers of the Republican Guards and remnants of Central Security Forces protecting al-Uruba Palace, where Mubarak lives and works.Some individual demonstrators have tried to throw rocks, but the organizers are holding them off; the organizers want the revolt to remain peaceful. "silmiyah, silmiya," they are chanting. But large, angry crowds standing face to face against the armed protecters of the the dictator is not an event where the Peace Train song will be most popular.
Watching the live al-Jazeera coverage, I heard some people chant "Blood is the price of freedom!" But most of the chants take the form of repeating the main failures of the regime: corruption, polic abuse, inequality, lack of compassion toward the poor, ineffective management, and so forth.
In the meanwhile, there are reports of suspicious movements by regime loyalists. Armed members of the NDP and baltagiah (regime thugs) are breaking into buildings and forcing residents out. Obviously, waiting for the right moment to begin firing. This is in preparation for the chaos that Mubarak predicted. But thus far every move the regime and its loyalts have taken backfired. The most prominent of such moves was the baltigiah violence in Tahrir Square, which showed the world how small, violent and thoughtless the pro-Mubarak mobs are. If they are preparing for civil war, their actions are scaring the protesters into committing themselves to non-violent resistence. It does not make sense for unarmed civilians with political demands to give in to pointless, unfair fight, when they are clearly gaining momentum. This might get out of control, which has already happened last week. But as they did before, the protesters will regroup and continue the revolt. The regime is doing every thing to push them in this direction: the concessions they offer is itnerpreted as weakness that emboldens the protesters. Promising change without taking measures to launch it shows the lack of credibility and enrages angry and disappointed citizens.
Things might get ugly, but it is not likely that today will be decisive. Revolutions are messay business. In Tunisia Ben Ali left after 4 weeks of protests. Egypt's previous revolutions took much longer. The 1919 revolt agains the British took 2 years. That revolt was violent; it was against a foreign military power. Now Egyptians are revolting against a domestic military regime. Many people yesterday said that blood was in the air. But thanks to the disciplined organizers, January 25 may remain peaceful.
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