Thousands in Egypt demand “end to Mubarak

CAIRO (Al Arabiya.net)

Police members remove suits and join protests

Thousands of protesters gathered in different parts of Cairo and other cities on Friday including
the eastern Egyptian hotspot of Suez and the Nile Delta cities of Mansoura and Sharqiya, calling for an end to “corruption” and “dictatorship,” Al Arabiya TV reported. Protesters gather near the presidential palace in Nasr City, outside of Cairo’s city center, according to Al Arabiya TV. Police fired rubber bullets at thousands of protesters who had gathered outside the prominent al-Azhar mosque in central Cairo after Friday prayers, a Reuters witness said. A number of police members removed their suits and joined protests against the regime, according to Al Arabiya. The crowd threw stones at police lines and shouted slogans against President Hosni Mubarak, 82, and his son, Gamal, 47, who many Egyptian believe is being groomed for future office. “The people want the regime to fall,” they shouted, alongside “No to succession”. They also cried “Down, Down, Hosni Mubarak.” Police were firing teargas in Mansoura, the witness from the the movement said. Protesters shouted “Down, Down, Hosni Mubarak” and stamped on posters of the president after Friday prayers, witnesses said.

Vodafone group said all mobile operators in Egypt had been instructed to suspend services in selected areas, in what activists said was an effort to stop anti-Mubarak demonstrators from communicating and organising.

Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Laureate who has called for an end to Mubarak’s rule, had joined prayers involving about 2,000 people and al Jazeera said he had not been allowed to leave the area.

The worshippers were surrounded by police while praying in a square just outside a mosque in the Giza area of Cairo.

“The people want the end of the regime,” they started shouting once prayers were complete.

“Leave, leave, Mubarak, Mubarak, the plane awaits you,” they chanted in the protests, which were inspired by a revolt in Tunisia.

The Tunisian president of 23 years, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, was forced to flee to Saudi Arabia on Jan. 14 after a month of protests.

Nationwide protests

Egyptians have staged mass protests since Tuesday and hundreds have been arrested.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including at least eight senior officials of the opposition group and its main spokesmen, were rounded up overnight. A security source said authorities had ordered a crackdown on the group.

Young protesters want an end to Mubarak’s authoritarian rule that has used heavy-handed security to crush dissenters who complain about unemployment, inflation and corruption which have created a huge gap between rich and poor.

The same complaints about corruption and poverty can be heard across the region and have prompted protests in countries like Algeria and Yemen.

“Inflation has exhausted people. Prices of food, fuel, electricity, sugar are rising … The rich get richer and the poor poorer,” said a taxi driver, declining to be named.

“God knows what will happen today. After Tunisia anything is possible.”

The Internet via Egyptian servers was blocked across the country shortly after midnight, closing a key tool for activists relying on social media networks.

Mobile phone and text messaging services also appeared to be disabled or working sporadically.

Facebook has been the main vehicle for announcing Friday’s protest and identifying locations for demonstrations.

The government has accused the Muslim Brotherhood of planning to exploit the youth protests for its “hidden agendas”. The Brotherhood says it is being used as a scapegoat.