Protesters evacuated Mohamed Mahmoud Street Thursday to the cheers of others gathered in Tahrir Square, though some are refusing to leave what has been the front line of most of the fighting with police.
Barbed wire now blocks the street near the entrance to the American University in Cairo Greek campus, separating a few dozen protesters who remain on Mohamed Mahmoud Street from the military police, tanks and a bulldozer on the other side.
Many of those who stayed were suspicious of the military's motives and said they worried that retreating would leave Tahrir vulnerable to an attack from security forces.
“We won’t leave here because if we hadn’t blocked the street for the last few days the Central Security Forces would have entered the square. We don’t trust the military, they let us get beaten up yesterday,” said Sayed Salah, a member of the Revolution Coalition in Alexandria, as he stood on the street.
Salah’s resistance was echoed by others who pushed up against the barricade, chanting, “We won’t leave, the police should leave.”
Chants against Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces could also be heard, as protesters told the military not to get involved in the clashes that have killed at least 35 people and injured thousands nationwide.
Military officials behind the line could barely be heard above the shouting as they tried to convince the protesters to return to Tahrir.
One man cried as he tried to show the officers his wounds.
Demonstrators closer to the square formed three layers of human barriers at the entrance to the street to prevent more people from entering.
As people filed off the street, fellow protesters applauded, saying, “Those who love Egypt don’t destroy it.”
Others tried to convince those holding out to join them in the square.
Unlike several short-lived breaks in fighting Wednesday, a truce has held since around 2 am. Remnants of tear gas still hung in the air, stinging noses and burning eyes even after 11 hours of relative calm.
Outgoing Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's cabinet also released a statement confirming that security forces and protesters had agreed to stop fighting Thursday morning.
As of early afternoon, authorities were allowing civilians to walk around the barricade on their way to nearby streets.
The military was also constructing another barbed wire wall on Sheikh Rehan Street near the Interior Ministry.
Nadine Marroushi also contributed to this report.
