Tahrir Square protesters defy a return to a normal Egypt

The final thousand revolutionaries – diverse in wealth, age and religion – show no signs of deserting the square The hardcore of revolutionaries who refuse to step outside of Tahrir Square is down to 1,000 or so. Each night they are squeezed into the cluster of tents planted on the large roundabout at the heart of the square. The protesters are an unusually mixed community: young and middle-aged, mostly men but a few women and families too. Muslims, Christians and those who choose not to pray have been thrown together in a single cause. At times the easygoing atmosphere has the air of a festival, as do the long lines for the toilets. But a glance over at the ever-present soldiers on the edge of the square and the strategically piled rocks – sometimes used to spell out demands such as “leave now” and “get out” – are reminders, if any were needed, of the bloody price paid a few days ago to keep the square in the protesters’ hands. Once the sun is up, Tahrir Square starts to fill. On some days, hundreds of thousands have squeezed in after showing identity cards to the soldiers ringing the square in a disconcerting demonstration of orderliness and respect. The overnight residents take to clearing up, brushing dirt from the roads, putting rubbish in bags for the dust carts that arrive each day and stacking the stones. The tea sellers emerge and the young boys who sell Egyptian flags for E£10 (£1.40) each. The morning arrivals come with bread and vegetables for those who have stayed through the night. Amr Mahmoud, who has been in the square since the beginning of the protest a fortnight ago, waves his hand at the small bowl of food before him. He is outraged. “The government says we are eating Kentucky Fried Chicken. Where is the Kentucky?” he asks. “They say we are paid to be here but we have no money.” The KFC just across the street is firmly shut. It is plastered in anti-government posters and graffiti, as is just about every other business in the square except for a small gift shop whose owner remains a fan of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president. Along the street, groups of men sit around clapping and chanting. Some in circles, some in lines. One group has laid

Posted by on February 7, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry