Egypt's Tahrir Square Tent-Builders Set to Stay Until Mubarak Goes
Surrounded by tanks and the world’s television cameras, the protesters on Cairo’s Tahrir Square are bedding down to secure their place in history.
The groups challenging the three-decade-long rule of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his deputy, Omar Suleiman, have built shelters from tarpaulins and made beds from blankets and clothing as they become accustomed to sleeping outdoors next to the caterpillar tracks of the military vehicles.
“We will not leave Tahrir until our demands are met,” said Amr Hassan, 21, a commerce student at Cairo’s Ain Shams University. “We will not allow anyone from the previous regime to stay, not Mubarak, Suleiman, or anyone else.”
Since the Egyptian uprising escalated with the call for a million demonstrators to gather on Feb. 1, the square has become the symbol of unrest that has rocked the Middle East as unemployment and food prices rise. The impasse at Tahrir also may make it tougher for Suleiman and opposition leaders to settle a revolt that won support in the U.S. and western Europe.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said it will take four months to amend the country’s constitution and prepare for elections scheduled for September when Mubarak’s sixth term ends. Mubarak, 82, has said he won’t run again.
‘Open the Way’
“It will be four months until June, and in June, we open the way for presidential elections,” Aboul Gheit said in an interview broadcast this morning on Al Arabiya television.
Dozens of tents have sprung up to accommodate the growing number of men, women and children vowing not to leave Tahrir until Mubarak quits. Tahrir is the Arab word for liberation and the square, named in honor of the 1919 revolution against British occupation, is now home to food vendors, souvenir salesmen, barbers and at least six medical clinics with volunteer doctors.
“Occupying Tahrir Square has always signified a turning point in Egyptian history,” Alaa Al-Aswany, 53, author of “The Yacoubian Building,” said in the square on Jan. 25, the first day of the protests. “That is why we intend to hold on to this piece of land until our demands are met, no matter the cost.”
Suleiman, the former intelligence chief who was appointed vice president by Mubarak on Jan. 29, has been meeting with representatives of opposition groups in a bid to end the protests calling on the president to depart immediately.
300 Dead
About 300 people died in clashes between anti- and pro- government demonstrators and with the authorities. Suleiman, 74, said this week the dialogue involving some opposition figures is the only alternative to the “chaos” of regime change.
Tens of thousands of people filled Tahrir on Feb. 8, the day after the release of Wael Ghonim, a Google Inc. executive and an activist. As dusk approached in Cairo, Ghonim stepped on stage, bringing the crowd to a hush, to declare the protesters as “heroes” and the dead as “martyrs.”
“We feel overwhelming warmth among people here,” said Hafez Mohamed, 23, an engineer carrying a flag who yesterday came to the square for a second day. “Everyone wants to say ‘no’ and when we chant together it looks like a carnival.”
Protesters are calling on Egyptians to demonstrate throughout the country tomorrow following Friday prayers. Chants and banners calling for a march to Mubarak’s presidential palace have been increasing in Tahrir Square.
Economic Malaise
Egypt’s economic malaise has been exacerbated by the demonstrations, according to the government, which estimated the flight of tourists in the first nine days of protests cost $1 billion. Egypt’s exports dropped by 6 percent in January, state- run television reported, citing Trade Minister Samiha Fawzy.
Banks reopened some of their branches on Feb. 6 after a week-long closure while the stock market remains suspended until Feb. 13. The Egyptian pound lost as much as 2.3 percent against the dollar since Jan. 24 before recovering after the central bank intervened. The pound was little changed yesterday at 5.8805 per dollar.
“Where does it end?” said Moutaz Hassan Rasmy, a 36-year- old limousine manager who was forced to accept a one-third salary cut to 1,350 pounds ($230) per month. “I agree with the protesters’ demands but my family is now starting to suffer. I may be able to get by this month, but what about the next?”
Long lines in front of Tahrir’s makeshift entrances between the dozens of tanks have become the norm, starting at 4 p.m. as people file out of their offices. Around the square, vendors sell Egyptian flags, hats with the red, white and black national colors and food including kushari, a staple dish consisting of rice, lentils, chickpeas and macaroni.
‘A Better Future’
“I come here with my son after work every day,” said Hossam Moussa, 41, an accountant. “I feel it’s important for him to see for himself what it takes to build a better future.”
For the demonstrators in Tahrir, and the thousands of people staging parallel protests in cities including Alexandria, Suez and Mahalla, maintaining momentum and support from the likes of Rasmy in the coming weeks could prove critical.
They are becoming more organized by taking shifts in sleeping, greeting visitors, sharing food, water and blankets donated by others, and chanting, singing and dancing to keep warm at night. They search those arriving to maintain security and urge exiting crowds to come back with their friends.
“The question is not whether Mubarak goes or not -- he’s pretty much gone,” Bassma Kodmani, executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative, said in an e-mailed comment. “If the street continues to push, we will go quite far in the reforms.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Maram Mazen in Cairo at mmazen@bloomberg.net; Ahmed A Namatalla in Cairo at anamatalla@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net
Tahrir Tent-Builders Set to Stay Until Mubarak Goes
Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images
Egyptian anti-goverment demonstrators read newspapers next to an Armoured Personnel Carrier at Cairo's Tahrir Square on the 17th day of protests against President Hosni Mubarak's regime.
Egyptian anti-goverment demonstrators read newspapers next to an Armoured Personnel Carrier at Cairo's Tahrir Square on the 17th day of protests against President Hosni Mubarak's regime. Photographer: Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images
Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Bloomberg's Lara Setrakian reports from Dubai on the reopening of businesses in central Cairo after two weeks of protests against President Hosni Mubarak's regime. She speaks with Francine Lacqua on Bloomberg Television's "On The Move." (Source: Bloomberg)
Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Egypt’s Deputy Central Bank Governor Hisham Ramez, talks about the outlook for today's sale of 15 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.6 billion) in local-currency Treasury bills. Ramez also discusses the liquidity of local banks with Francine Lacqua on Bloomberg Television's "On The Move." (Source: Bloomberg)
Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Steven Cook, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses the Egyptian unrest and the outlook for Vice President Omar Suleiman. Cook speaks with Deirdre Bolton on Bloomberg Television's "InsideTrack." (Source: Bloomberg)
Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Naguib Sawiris, the billionire chairman of Orascom Telecom Holding SAE, talks from Cairo about efforts to resolve the political crisis in Egypt. Sawiris attended a meeting yesterday between Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman, the Wafd and Tagammu parties and the Muslim Brotherhood. He talks with Francine Lacqua on Bloomberg Television's "On The Move." (Source: Bloomberg)
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A boy stands among waving Egyptian flags in Tahrir Square in Cairo.
A boy stands among waving Egyptian flags in Tahrir Square in Cairo. Photographer: Chris Hondros/Getty Images
Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman
Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty Images
Opposition figures have proposed a transition that would have Mubarak cede his authority to Suleiman rather than resign now.
Opposition figures have proposed a transition that would have Mubarak cede his authority to Suleiman rather than resign now. Photographer: Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty Images
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Soliman Oteifi/AP
From right, Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman, Hossam Badrawy of the ruling National Democratic Party, Wafd opposition party leader Alsayed al-Badawi and billionaire Naguib Sawiris
From right, Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman, Hossam Badrawy of the ruling National Democratic Party, Wafd opposition party leader Alsayed al-Badawi and billionaire Naguib Sawiris Photographer: Soliman Oteifi/AP
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Shawn Baldwin/Bloomberg
Banks began to reopen in Cairo.
Banks began to reopen in Cairo. Photographer: Shawn Baldwin/Bloomberg
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A protester leads a chant against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Tahrir Square.
A protester leads a chant against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Tahrir Square. Photographer: John Moore/Getty Images
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Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images
Egyptian anti-government protesters gather at Cairo's Tahrir Square.
Egyptian anti-government protesters gather at Cairo's Tahrir Square. Photographer: Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images
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Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
An anti-government protester chants and gestures in front of soldiers guarding the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square.
An anti-government protester chants and gestures in front of soldiers guarding the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. Photographer: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
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