Egyptian protests against the government of President Hosni Mubarak continue, despite the fact that the state banned all demonstrations yesterday.
The “Day of Anger” has, so far, claimed the lives of three protesters in Suez, in the east of Egypt, and one policeman in El Cairo.
It has been reported that 150 people were hurt, and many more were arrested, in what was a particularly violent police operation. Authorities fired tear gas and water cannons between 1am and 3am local time on Wednesday in order to disperse anti-government protesters, who occupied the central Tahrir Square throughout the night.
However, Egypt woke up much calmer today. Police were spread all around Tahrir Square, an area that was the focal point of the demonstrations. President Hosni Mubarak's government has also banned all street protests. Anyone participating in unauthorised action will be detained and prosecuted, the Interior Ministry said.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hossam Zaki, said that protests were not a new phenomenon. Mr Zaki also acknowledged the right of the Egyptian people to express their opinions. “The government is fully aware of the people's demands and it is doing its best to fulfil them,” said Mr Zaki.
However, he added that the current margin of freedom in Egypt is unprecedented, both within in the region, as well as in all Arab countries, and said that the “protests should not be perceived as if the Egyptians were preparing for a new situation like what happened in Tunisia”.
Fight continues online
Despite the governmental ban, as well as the fact that, according to Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry al-Youm, Egyptian TV channels ignored the “Day of Anger,” the anti-government movements are still alive. Nearly 20,000 demonstrators, who complained of poverty, unemployment, corruption and government repression, continue their fight through other resources.
Social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have been their main outlets. The “Day of Anger”, in particular, was coordinated on a Facebook page. The “6th of April Youth Movement”'s group on Facebook has a total of 20,792 fans as of today.
Twitter has also been a key news source. Fans and supporters could follow the last news posts by using the search term #jan25 . However, the social networking site confirmed on Tuesday that it was blocked from 4pm GMT. Despite the blocking of the official website, people are still using this network and latest updates on Twitter suggest that opponents of the Mubarak regime were gathering prior to a return to the square to resume their demonstrations, according to the Guardian.
The “Day of Anger” has, so far, claimed the lives of three protesters in Suez, in the east of Egypt, and one policeman in El Cairo.
It has been reported that 150 people were hurt, and many more were arrested, in what was a particularly violent police operation. Authorities fired tear gas and water cannons between 1am and 3am local time on Wednesday in order to disperse anti-government protesters, who occupied the central Tahrir Square throughout the night.
However, Egypt woke up much calmer today. Police were spread all around Tahrir Square, an area that was the focal point of the demonstrations. President Hosni Mubarak's government has also banned all street protests. Anyone participating in unauthorised action will be detained and prosecuted, the Interior Ministry said.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hossam Zaki, said that protests were not a new phenomenon. Mr Zaki also acknowledged the right of the Egyptian people to express their opinions. “The government is fully aware of the people's demands and it is doing its best to fulfil them,” said Mr Zaki.
However, he added that the current margin of freedom in Egypt is unprecedented, both within in the region, as well as in all Arab countries, and said that the “protests should not be perceived as if the Egyptians were preparing for a new situation like what happened in Tunisia”.
Fight continues online
Despite the governmental ban, as well as the fact that, according to Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry al-Youm, Egyptian TV channels ignored the “Day of Anger,” the anti-government movements are still alive. Nearly 20,000 demonstrators, who complained of poverty, unemployment, corruption and government repression, continue their fight through other resources.
Social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have been their main outlets. The “Day of Anger”, in particular, was coordinated on a Facebook page. The “6th of April Youth Movement”'s group on Facebook has a total of 20,792 fans as of today.
Twitter has also been a key news source. Fans and supporters could follow the last news posts by using the search term #jan25 . However, the social networking site confirmed on Tuesday that it was blocked from 4pm GMT. Despite the blocking of the official website, people are still using this network and latest updates on Twitter suggest that opponents of the Mubarak regime were gathering prior to a return to the square to resume their demonstrations, according to the Guardian.
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