Reliving Revolution in Egypt: Day 11 – The Day of Departure

Christians link arms, surround and protect Muslims prostrating themselves praying in Tahrir Square

For each day during this nearly three week long anniversary, an excerpt of the Book “Egypt Unshackled” will provide you with the historical and social media highlights from each day of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.

Friday, 04 February 2011

Tweet of the Day: @nolanjazeera‎ And I told the protestors holding on for dear life in Tahrir last nite that there’s 10,000′s on Twitter who wish they were Egyptian right now

The 11th day brought worry and concern on a many fronts. After the events of the previous two days, would anyone return toCairoandTahrir Square? The answer was an emphatic YES!

Throughout another long, cold night in Tahrir, there was a period of taking stock amongst members of the press corps. They were tired of being perpetual targets yet continued returning toTahrir Squareoffering the protestors insights into what they were hearing as well as gathering information for their own reports.

After being cut-off for so long, subjected to barbarous battles and feeling exhausted and beaten up, those in the Square had been so busy fighting, they had little idea of the extent of global coverage or the amount of support there was for their on-going struggle.

In a world with a 5-second attention span, they were concerned the battle, like many before it was being conducted in a media vacuum.

As many reporters told them both person by person and anecdotally, that could not be further from the truth.

@NickKristof‎ For all the talk about reporters in danger, it is Egyptians who face 10 times the risk and have none of our protections.
@andersoncooper‎ Despite attacks on journalists, and great difficulties today, we will be on air tonite at 10pm live from cairo. Join us!
@Journotopia‎ “Come on, President Obama. You owe #Egypts democracy protestors more.” Nick Kristof from Tahrir Square: Watching Thugs With Razors and Clubs at Tahrir Square – NYTimes.com
@Sandmonkey‎ The regime wanted to get rid of the foreign media, so they spread tales of terrorist foreign spies, to justify attacking journalists. #Jan25

And, as always, a spirit of technological innovation reigned across the Square.  The one connection almost everyone in Tahrir had to the outside world, their cell phone, had a dead or dying battery needed recharging, so protestors responded in a unique and innovative way.

@dougmcgray‎ Design for the real world: @sharifkouddous says people in Tahrir Sq are hacking street lights to charge cell phones. Power to the people.
@sharifkouddous‎ It’s 5:40 am in Tahrir. Morning prayers just ended. Darkness beginning to break. A new day. #Egypt#Jan25
@AJELive‎ Our reporter says there is an “easy calm” inTahrir Square, as protestors prepare for what they call “Departure Day”
@taiabriaz‎ @AJEnglish @AjeLive #egypt25 Give Mubarak a truck load of Egyptian soil and send him abroad. He can die on Egyptian soil abroad

As crowds continued to stream into the Square the noon call for prayer came and thousands of Muslims prayed on the street while Coptic Christians linked arms to protect them as they prostrated themselves. It was an impressive display of religious tolerance for each other’s beliefs in a region not known for much tolerance or cooperation.

@eamonngearon‎ Thousands in #Tahrir begin the most important prayers of the week. Imam struggles to be heard of noise of helicopter overhead
@Sandmonkey‎ The scene of Tahrir right now is incredible. Millions of people praying. Reverence. Very powerful. It looks likeMecca in haj. #Jan25
@UKProgressive  Christians & others form ”human chain” around Muslims praying to protect from disruption… religion can get along inMidEast,Egypt shows the way!
@Packafy‎ I am falling in love with a million people. #tahrir

Despite the crowd’s festive nature, members of the media, lawyers and human rights activists were still being targeted by pro-Mubarak thugs, disappearing off the streets and subjected to brutal treatment across Cairo and Egypt.

Al Jazeera’s offices, already shuttered by government forces, were targeted and torched because despite orders to cease, they remained on the air with cell phone and street coverage.

@BreakingNews‎ Al Jazeera Arabic’s Cairo office has been stormed by unknown men and the office has been trashed @AJELive
@nolanjazeera‎ SO pleased to hear fairly peaceful day in Tahrir Square Not so pleased about Jazeera office being torched! When will the media attacks end??
@BoycottAhava‎ @AJELive condemns ”gangs of thugs” that stormed its #Cairo office, which was burned w/ equipment inside Live blog Feb 4 – Egypt protests | Al Jazeera Blogs
@Sandmonkey‎ One group is peaceful and uses technology, the other is violent and uses rocks to smash your head. Which side do u wanna take? #Jan25

Like cockroaches scattering when the kitchen light is turned on, the plainclothes thugs who led the pro-Mubarak carnage 48-hours earlier, disappeared into the ethers and this day dawned with the police returning to the streets of Cairo, in uniform(!)

@nolanjazeera‎ Dozens of police trucks in side streets around Pres Palace. Yes thats right police! Haven’t seen them in a while. #Egypt
@sharifkouddous‎ There are throngs of people outside waiting to get in. Everyone is being frisked and having ID checked. #Egypt
@BBCWorld‎ Egyptian Defence Minister Mohammed Hussein and other senior officials inspecting anti-Mubarak protest in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, from AFP

The media and protest worlds would intersect ironically when in the middle of the largest protest march seen to date, Nile State Television went to a meeting of the newly formed Wise Men Council. This Mubarak regime hand-picked clique was ostensibly the group representing those in the crowd.

@CBSNews‎ Gibbs: There are concrete actions Mubarak/Suleiman on path to real change that can lessen instability…sit down with all parties. #egypt
‎@UKProgressive  10-man ’wise men’ council formed and negotiating with high-ranking officials in Egypt over the protests & the eventual outcome of the crisis
@obatouty‎ @Sarahngb brainwashing and presenters have lots of credibility which they use it to direct viewers the way they see it
@UKProgressiveState TV reading statement crowd is very excited, we just don’t know why.
@anamus‎ Shahira Amin says she quit her job as a journalist from Nile TV since she was asked not to cover the #tahrir sq outbursts #Egypt#Jan25
@NickKristof‎ A shout-out to the photogs at #Tahrir. We scribblers can hang back, but they live on front lines & are targets. Pure guts!

The big challenge for protestors was reaching common people and countering Nile TV state propaganda. Images from State television were deliberate disinformation and they infuriated the hundreds of thousands of protestors aroundEgypt.

As the day wore on, it was impossible even for Nile Television to ignore huge demonstrations in every city, yet they did their best to manipulate images, chants and crowd signs to show support for the Mubarak regime.

The images were a conundrum to those in the marches as they showed an almost Soviet or Chinese-style propaganda to the masses.

@BreakingNews YouTube video: Nile TV anchor tells CNN she quit after being forced to show pro-Mubarak protests - @producermatthew YouTube – CNN: Egyptian State Television Anchor Quits Amid …
@etharkamal‎ Nile TV showing a group of around 100 with pro-Mubarak signs. Only #Egypt
@amradelamin‎ They’re manipulating the images from #Tahrir to make it appear that the mere 1000 or so in Mohandesin outnumber the million in #Tahrir.
@TheNewsBlotter‎ /@SaadAbedine Nile TV is saying “Life is normal nearTahrir Square”. “No Traffic”.

The huge numbers were beamed out across the world, and in light of the previous two days’ violence, the world was awakening to the Egyptian crisis and joining in. From Yemen to Lebanon to Europe, people were listening and joining in the protest for freedom across the Arab world in what would become the Arab Spring of 2011.

@alikat747 #WeRAllEgyptians ! Come join us world! @Elazul thx for the inspiration! #Jan25
@UKProgressive  Yemen Online reports: Yemen opposition calls president to sack his son and relatives from high security and military positions
RT @DohaFarhat InLebanon, protesting against Murbarak! #Tahrir #Jan25
@UKProgressive Protests will be staged in front of the parliament inDamascus, on Friday and Saturday, and at Syrian embassies across the world
@StateDept‎ #SecClinton “Egyptian Government must demonstrate its willingness to ensure journalists’ ability to report on these events” #Egypt#Jan25

The protests are loud, unrelenting and growing. Hundreds of thousands stream into the Square and, unbeknownst to them, despite state television manipulation, their message is being heard and coverage continues with Egypt as the number one story on every channel.

@Sarahngb We have gotten the word out to the world. done. Now we have to get the word out to people inside #Egypt#Jan25#Tahrir
RT @sharifkouddous Muslim Brotherhood chanting Allah Akbar. Crowd stopped them chanting louder: Muslim, Christian, we’re all Egyptian #Egypt
@bencnn‎ The chants, posters, songs, dances, poems, jokes coming out of #Tahrir prove #Egypt’s most potent weapon is its wicked sense of humor #Jan25
@SultanAlQassemi‎ El Baradei: I hope that Mubarak doesn’t ask the entire population of Egypt to leave #Jan25

It was billed as the ‘Day of Departure’ but Egyptian propaganda over State TV meant few inside the country saw the huge protests that again continued on into the night. Mubarak, as usual, did not show any sign he was leaving and indeed was beginning to look like he would simply wait the protestors out.

What was becoming clear was the government was in no hurry. While the protest was about to enter Sunday and start a 3rd work week, the crippled economy, global geopolitical pressure… none of it was moving Mubarak and Suleiman off-point.

Even amongst those supporting the protestors, despite the enormous crowds, there was a growing chorus of people pleading with them and saying; “You’ve done enough, you made your point. Mubarak said he will leave, it’s time now to go home and let us all get back to work.”

All of their pleas fell on deaf ears inside Tahrir where the protestors knew if they quit now, everyone would be slowly hunted down, tortured and killed by the regime.

It had become now a waiting game to see which side would blink first.

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Denis G Campbell is author of the book Egypt Unsh@ckled: Using social media to @#:) the System. He is also editor-in-chief of UK Progressive Magazine and contributes politics and business articles for several global newspapers and magazines. He also provides regular commentary for BBC, China Radio International and others.
Email this author | All posts by Denis G Campbell