It is said Twitter service is now turn off in Egypt.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/4773.aspx
Egypt police use water cannon, scuffle with protesters
-
CAIRO | Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:49am EST
CAIRO Jan 25 (Reuters) - Egyptian police fired a water cannon and scuffled
with protesters gathered in the centre of the capital, part of a countrywide
demonstration against President Hosni Mubarak and his government.
The water cannon was used in one location in a main Cairo square. Reuters
witnesses said police used batons to beat protesters in at least two
locations of the capital. (Writing by Edmund
Blair<http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=edmund.blair&;>)
Swarm tactics befuddle police in
Cairo<http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/01/25/swarm_tactics_befuddle_police_in_cairo>
Posted By Blake Hounshell <http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/blog/40> Tuesday,
January 25, 2011 - 9:15 AM
For the last few hours, I've been glued to my Twitter stream, monitoring the
spreading protests in Egypt. The demonstrations have long been planned as a
response to "Police
Day<http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/25/egypt-police-day-human-rights>,"
a much-unloved national holiday originally intended to honor cops in the
city of Ismailia who stood against the British invasion of 1952. In recent
years, it's become a potent symbol of everything that's wrong with Egypt
under the rule of Hosni Mubarak.
This year, the protesters, inspired by events in Tunisia and outraged by the
death last year of Khalid Said, a young man brutally tortured and killed by
police in Alexandria, organized themselves on
Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/elshaheeed.co.uk>and called for a
"day of anger" across the country.
So far, they've succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Events are moving
rapidly <http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/4773.aspx>, but here's what we
know so far: The protests began at different points in the city, such as
Doqqi in Giza to the west and Shubra in the north, and converged on points
downtown. I've seen reports of large crowds in Ramses, Abdeen, Ataba, and
Tahrir squares -- all major important public spaces. There are also
scattered demonstrations in other parts of the country, such as Alexandria,
Mansoura, and Sinai.
It's too early to say that these are "massive" protests -- there are, after
all, some 80 million people in Egypt, and no report I've seen thus far puts
today's number at more than 100,000 -- but they could easily grow into
something truly huge. So far, the police have mostly taken a hands-off
approach, albeit with beatings, tear gas, and water cannons in some places.
But if the demonstrations continue to grow, Mubarak could face the same
dilemma that faced Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia: Crack down for real,
try to meet the protesters' demands halfway (say, by sacking his widely
reviled interior minister, Habib al-Adly), or some combination of the two.
After today, Mubarak can't have great confidence in his Central Security
Forces -- the riot police charged with putting down demonstrations. These
are usually slim, scared-looking lads from upper Egypt, poorly trained and
uneducated, with little pay and few perks. I've seen multiple reports of the
CSF being outmaneuved and backing down in the face of protesters. The army
is another matter -- more than a million men at arms, well-equipped and
presumably well motivated to protect their significant interests across the
country. (He can also call on the regular police and the vast resources of
state security, which will no doubt be hunting down organizers in the days
to come.) Will we be seeing tanks in the streets this spring?
It may not get to that point. But the Egyptian street got a taste of its
power today. For a people long thought to be quiescent, apathetic,
apolitical -- it must be an electrifying feeling. Hosni is not going to
sleep well tonight.
Stay tuned.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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