Egypt protests gather momentum on seventh day

Thousands converge in Cairo despite government crackdown.

Thousands of Egyptians defied an afternoon curfew to continue anti-government protests on Monday, reports CNN. The government has increased its military presence in the major Egyptian cities, including Cairo, Alexandria and Suez in an effort to quell the nationwide protests.

Photo courtesy monasosh via Flickr

The Egypt protests, which are being called the April 6 Movement, are likely to have a million people on the streets of Cairo today, mainly in the city’s central hub of Tahrir Square, where the most active protests have been taking place. The government imposed a 3 p.m. curfew which, like earlier curfews, has been largely ignored by the Egyptian population.

In an attempt to placate the protests, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak announced last week that we was replacing his entire cabinet. He began by appointing Omar Suleiman, a former member of the military and intelligence chief, as the new Vice President, a post previously unheard of in Egypt. The move was seen as an attempt to answer the protesters’ demands for a new regime, while playing to the popularity of the military in Egypt.

The announcement, however, only seemed to incite anger and increase the intensity of the Egypt protests. The eviction of Mubarak from the presidency seems to be the unifying theme throughout the country.

“The whole regime must come down,” Hassan, a construction worker and protester told the Reuters news agency. “We do not want anyone from Mubarak’s retinue in the new government, which the people will choose. We want a civil government run by the people themselves.”

Army presence has increased in the capital, with thousands of personel attempting to isolate Tahrir Square from outsiders. Al-Jazeera, however, is reporting that these attempts have been unsuccessful, as streams of people seem to be joining the thousands already in the square - with many claiming they will remain until Mubarak leaves office.

The police were back on the street today directing traffic after being absent since Friday. There are wide reports of chaos outside of the protest areas, as some locals have formed into neighborhood watch groups, patroling the entrances and exits to their neighborhoods in an attempt to dissuade looters. Grocery stores are reportedly scenes of “mayhem.”

It is believed that up to 125 people have been killed as a direct result of the protests, with soldiers guarding Egypt’s famed museums, the Giza plateau, and cordoning off the airport, which has left many travelers stranded.

As College News previously reported, the Egypt protests began last week shortly after similar protests in Tunisia ended the 23-year rule of the country’s dictator. The Egypt protests have focused on a lack of freedoms and corruption, all believed to be a result of the authoritarian rule of President Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for 30 years. The unrest in Egypt could have consequences for Europe and the United States, as the country has control over the Suez Canal, a gateway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Sea, a major route for oil tankers. Egypt is also one of the few Western-friendly governments that has a peace treaty with its neighbor Israel.

Source: Collegenews