Report: Battle of Cairo to begin

After a week of demonstrations, University of Cairo graduate Saleh Fekry Mohamed, is back in his flat recuperating. But in an hour he will try to meander his way through the streets of Cairo to the central Tahrir Square.

Anti-government protesters in Egypt are preparing to hold massive marches as they step up efforts against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak.

»Last night I was out at the Tahrir square, I went at 11.30 pm, and stayed there the whole night only to return to my flat an hour ago,« Saleh says.

Thugs and thieves walk the streets

Saleh is a 24-year old friend of a Slovenian University of Copenhagen student, and reports to the University Post by phone, a tenuous connection to the outside world. He and his fellow protesters come and go from the central square, but there is always a massive presence of protesters there.

»We have not been able to organise a shift system, to be quite honest, and things are unorganised as yet,« he says.

Some people are staying indoors, he reckons, fearing inmates that have broken out of prisons. »Thugs and thieves are walking around freely. Just going to the square has become difficult.«

Tear gas against peaceful demo

The protests are gaining momentum.

»The demonstrations are basically from all parts of society. At the start, all the students were not a part of it, but now more and more are taking part, as they have finished their exams,« Saleh reports.

The demonstrations have escalated ever since 25 January, when police started using water cannon and tear gas, Saleh explains to the University Post.

We fought back

»It was a peaceful demonstration, and police at the beginning were very friendly: We walked until we reached the Tahrir Square. They blocked us in there, and sprayed us with water cannon, and shot tear gas canisters,« he retells.

»First of all we didn’t know what to do, but we didn’t run away, but fought back«.

miy@adm.ku.dk

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