Big escalations this Tuesday after the general strike on Monday. Street protesters, which have received support from the army, are increasing their pressure on the government of Hosni Mubarak.
One million protesters are expected in Cairo . Another million expected in Alexandria. The opposition to President Hosni Mubarak plans to make this Tuesday the demonstration of strength and in the process make it an even more untenable situation for the president, in power for thirty years. Monday night the protest received the unexpected support of the army . It was officially announced that they would not fire on the march, calling the protester’s claims “legitimate”. In an official statement addressed “to the great people of Egypt”, the army general staff even said that “freedom of expression is guaranteed in a peaceful manner for all.”
On Monday, the seventh day of demonstrations, the gathering of opposition parties led by Mohamed ElBaradei relied on word of mouth to spread their message, while the internet continues to be blocked and texting almost non existent, word on the street is that the general strike was heeded since the country was partly paralyzed yesterday . The rail freight service has been suspended. Banks and the stock market were closed for the second consecutive day. Media Egyptian officials have assured that the Suez Canal was operating “at capacity” and was not affected by the situation.
This Monday , there were still thousands gathered in Tahrir Square (Liberation Square), the epicenter of the revolt in central Cairo. Some protesters have spent the night despite the curfew in force in the capital, Suez (east) and Alexandria (north) of 4pm to 8 am, local time, and prepared to do the same this evening. Around the square, which is surrounded by tanks, the military merely checked the identities of demonstrators without preventing their access.
On the one hand, then, Hosni Mubarak is trying to regain control of the situation by announcing a cabinet reshuffle. The president also promised “further measures, more political, constitutional and legislative reform through dialogue with all parties.” On the other hand, the opposition has already demanded his resignation and their spokesman, the Nobel Peace winner Mohamed ElBaradei promised Sunday night a “new era”. In the middle, the military seems to be leaning towards the people. Today’s massive protest is expected to give an indication of the near future of Egypt.