EGYPT: Protesters camp in front of parliament, preparing for mass protest they hope will overthrow President Mubarak

Record ID: 345330

  • Title: EGYPT: Protesters camp in front of parliament, preparing for mass protest they hope will overthrow President Mubarak
  • Date: 12th February 2011
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (FEBRUARY 11, 2011) (REUTERS) PEOPLE ON STREET LEADING UP TO PARLIAMENT EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT WITH TENTS IN FRONT OF GATE PARLIAMENT BUILDING DOME BALLOONS HUNG ON A LINE RUNNING ACROSS PARLIAMENT STREET TENTS LINED UP CLOSE OF TENTS PROTESTERS INSIDE TENTS COVERED WITH BLANKETS PROTESTER READING NEWSPAPER INSIDE TENT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIE
  • Embargoed: 27th February 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt, Egypt
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAERH6IRVSLZ9JBPKSKFBYPWOBZ
  • Story Text: Protesters camped outside the Egyptian parliament in Cairo woke on Friday (February 11) prepared to continue their demonstration calling for President Hosni Mubarak to stand down.
    Egyptians have protested for over a fortnight in Cairo's Tahrir or Liberation square chanting for the fall the current regime. They have now been joined by others outside the parliament who say they are determined to stay until Mubarak responds to their demands and steps down.
    On Thursday (February 10) many protesters celebrated after hearing rumours on news channels that Mubarak had left with his family to Sharm El Sheikh. But after a speech in which the president pledged to remain in power until September, the mood of protesters hardened.
    "I have several messages, and I hope you can spread them around," said one protester on Friday.
    "The first one, is directed towards Hosni Mubarak: you have lost your legitimacy and you have no right to commission a mosquito [even the simplest of things]. As for Omar Suleiman, he is a carbon copy of you. You are both two sides of one coin," she said, referring to the vice president Omar Suleiman to whom Mubarak said he was handing some powers.
    "If we take a close look at his speech, he said that he is going to amend section 76 of the constitution," said another protester.
    "The same one we were protesting for when he used violence against us in front of the Syndicate of Journalists two years ago. He got thugs who tore our clothes off and beat us as well as three quarters of journalists and everyone else that was at that protest. He said [in his speech] that the judiciary system will be fair, he's always said that. He did not mention anything new. The only thing he told us was that Omar Suleiman will act as commissioner, now imagine Omar Suleiman and Hosni Mubarak both ruling at the same time, can you imagine what will happen to us in the coming days," she said.
    A stream of protesters continued to arrive at Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square ahead of noon prayers.
    Protesters enraged at Mubarak's refusal to quit pledged to march from the square to the presidential palace on Friday, raising fears of a confrontation between elite troops and demonstrators.
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