Cairo protesters slam ‘stubborn’ Mubarak
Hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters have poured into Cairo's Tahrir Square to call for the immediate exit of President Hosni Mubarak. Some determined demonstrators have set up temporary homes and tents (centre) at the venue. Hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters have poured into Cairo's Tahrir Square to call for the immediate exit of President Hosni Mubarak. Some determined demonstrators have set up temporary homes and tents (centre) at the venue.
Cairo - Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians demanding President Hosni Mubarak's downfall flooded Cairo's Tahrir Square on Tuesday in one of the biggest demonstrations yet against his continued rule after three decades in power.
Many were there for the first time. Some said they had been encouraged by other protesters who had told them about the festive atmosphere in the square, the hub of protests that have rocked Mubarak's rule.
Others said they had seen through what they called lies by the state media, which has depicted the protests as part of a foreign conspiracy against Egypt.
Numbers were also boosted by an emotional interview broadcast on Monday with a Google executive released from 12 days in detention for his Internet activism. A number of protesters interviewed by Reuters said Wael Ghonim's appearance had encouraged them to join the protest.
Protesters stood shoulder-to-shoulder as they listened to Ghonim address the crowd over loud speakers on Tuesday. “I am not the hero, you are the heroes,” he said.
The crowd then broke into one of their most common chants: “The people want the regime to fall.”
Reuters correspondents said the crowd appeared larger on Tuesday afternoon than it was last Friday, one of the biggest days since the protesters came out on January 25 to challenge Mubarak's authoritarian government.
Based on a rough estimate of surface area, the protest zone can hold about a quarter of a million people if tightly packed. This is about the third time it has come close to capacity, numbers climbed as people left work.
Many protesters camp overnight in what has become a tented village in the heart of the Egyptian capital, with people selling food, drink, newspapers and Egyptian flags.
Army units stationed at the main entrances to the square did not hinder access.
At least three couples have held wedding ceremonies in Tahrir Square. A bride and groom paraded there on Tuesday, surrounded by a group of protesters waving Egyptian flags and chanting: “The groom wants the end of the regime.”
The crowd tends to peak in the late afternoon and then diminish gradually after the start of the curfew imposed by the army, which now runs from 8pm to 6am.
One of the first-timers on Tuesday was Afaf Naged, 71, a former board member of state-owned National Bank of Egypt, the country's largest financial institution.
Naged said she was fed up with what she called Mubarak's attempts to cling on to power. “I came here for the first time today because ... Mubarak is still meeting the same ugly faces ... He can't believe it is over. He is a very stubborn man.”
“I am also here because of Wael Ghonim. He was right when he said that the NDP (the ruling National Democratic Party) is finished. There is no party left, but they don't want to admit it,” she added. - Reuters