After enduring a night of armed attacks that resulted in at least five deaths and hundreds of injuries, protesters in Tahrir Square maintain high spirits as they continued to stand their ground.
“We want the murderer’s prosecution,” protesters called out Thursday morning. At 2PM on Thursday, Mubarak supporters carried out their previously stated threat to shed blood in Tahrir Square. Some wielded poles as they rode horses and camels into the crowds of anti-Mubarak protesters.
Contending last night’s events would not entice them to resort to violence, they shouted “peaceful, peaceful” as armed mobs of Mubarak supporters attacked protesters Wednesday afternoon.
By 8PM, anti-Mubarak protesters had regained control of the square.
Lives were lost early this morning when live fire was used against the anti-Mubarak camp.
Military tanks vacated many of the streets leading to Tahrir Square, allowing for the pro-Mubarak protesters–many of whom later confessed to being hired thugs–to march to the square and confront their opponents head on.
Anti-Mubarak protestors created defense lines on the streets to push aggressors back as far as possible and prevent them from accessing the square.
“They were trying to intimidate us,” said Nehal al-Sayyed. “A lot of the men created these defense lines to protect the many women and children who were in the square.”
The protesters held their positions they spontaneously assumed roles of defenders, suppliers, first aid responders, and logistical organizers. Three makeshift clinics treated the injured.
A group of protestors was assigned to dismantle concrete blocks on sidewalks. Others broke them into smaller pieces, which were then carried in cloth bags and blankets to protestors at the lines of defense. Make-shift helmets were constructed from boxes and foam to protect protestors from the rain of stones at the front lines.
This morning, visible injuries could be seen everywhere across the Square. Exhausted and hurt, protesters remain steadfast in their vow to hold their positions in the square until the regime falls.
“We saw people dying in front of us and this motivated us further, it did not scare us,” said one of the protesters.
“We either triumph over Mubarak the tyrant or every single one of us dies here. We are staying here for the sake of our kids,” said one protester who was injured.
“I don’t understand in whose interest it is for me and my fellow Egyptians to fight each other like that,” questioned another protester.
The increasing number of deaths among protesters motivated old protesters to stay and new protesters to join. “Sixteen martyrs and you want us to leave?” questioned one protester. “He is a killer. His departure is not enough. He should be executed,” he added.
Protesters said that they were able to triumph over their aggressors because, unlike them, they had a higher goal.
“Our attackers left because they didn’t have a goal,” said one protester, in implicit reference to reports that Mubarak thugs were paid by the government to attack Tahrir Square protesters.
Many protesters absent from yesterday’s events came to Tahrir Square after they witnessed the latest violence on TV.
“I came back because what’s happening to those people is unfair. None of them are here for himself, they are here for us,” said a protester who arrived in Tahrir Square this morning.
Protesters maintained that yesterday’s violence and chaos was caused by pro-Mubarak mobs. Human rights advocacy group Amnesty International on Wednesday similarly blamed Wednesday's outbreak of violence at Tahrir Square on the Egyptian authorities
“We were over 20 million people strong here on Tuesday; nothing happened and the streets were clean,” said one of the protesters. “When they came here the streets became dirty.”
Although the atmosphere calmed down by late morning, pro-Mubarak and anti-Mubarak protesters continued to chant slogans. The anti-Mubarak protesters stood in Abd al-Moneim Riyad square–which was the site of vicious clashes–while pro-Mubarak demonstrators stood on top and under the 6 October bridge opposite throwing stones and Molotov cocktails across a nomads land dividing the two camps.
As many injured and battered protesters made their way home to regroup at 8AM, a protester screamed through the loudspeakers, “Don’t leave! We must stay here until [Mubarak] leaves!”
