The soldiers on Tahrir Square melted away leaving it open to Mubarak’s loyalists armed with staves and stones
HOSNI MUBARAK’S supporters assembled yesterday morning along the Nile corniche near the round, beige belly of the Egyptian state television building, flanked by huge tanks.
One man carried a bouquet of flags on staves which he handed out to people as they arrived. A group of men lined up against the barrier along the bank of the river were calling out, “Mubarak is a good man, he will stay forever.” Many flashed signs calling for him to remain in office. A tall middle-aged woman wrapped in dark red shawls and wearing a headscarf insisted on having her say. “ElBaradei is a bad man, he is with the Muslim Brotherhood. They are against Christians and will burn churches,” she said in basic but clear English. “No, to ElBaradei.”
Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is a member of a group of 10-12 prominent figures seeking to negotiate an end to the crisis, now in its 10th day.
“No, no, to ElBaradei,” echoed other loyalists, brandishing flags, posters covered with slogans, and portraits of Mubarak as they marched up and down beside the tanks.
The ragtag group consisted of police or security men who fear for their jobs, Mubarak’s genuine admirers and people seeking an early end to the disrupting protests in Tahrir Square. A few woman huddled on the footpath, steering clear of the marchers who parted and went round the little group which had formed around my companion and me.
One exceptionally thin man, unshaven and weary, said, “My name is Gamal. I am 50 years old. I served in the 1973 war under Mubarak. He is a good leader. ElBaradei is bad.”
Asked his profession, Gamal said he was a painter. He continued, determined to have his say, “Mubarak has been in charge for 30 years. ElBaradei has been abroad for 20 years. When [Mubarak] spoke on television everyone cried.”
As we made our way to the safety of the footpath, a young man confided, “The head of my company told us to come here. All my managers take [Mubarak’s] benefits,” gesturing at the swelling crowd. “What Mubarak said [last night on television] is not enough. We respect Mubarak but not his regime. They are a bad group. I have been with the demonstrators [in Tahrir Square]. I agree with them. We need a new political system. But we can wait for six months until Mubarak is set to step down.”
Once again we were swamped by men eager to put their point of view. Alaa Ibrahim said: “We need to be safe. If he leaves, there will be no one to run Egypt. We need him more than before [the protesters took over Tahrir Square]. We cannot let him go.”
“He is not going to leave, he is going to stay,” shouted accountant Muhammad Adham over the chants of the marchers. “All the people love Mubarak.”
Hassan Fouda, an engineering student, plucked at the sleeve of my jacket. “I have three messages for you. One, I want to tell Washington, London, Moscow, Tehran and Madrid that Egypt is our mother and Mubarak is our father. Two, to Dr ElBaradei: go away. Three, to Mubarak from your Egyptian sons: please, stay with us and don’t go. We need you.”
The Nile-side walk filled with people as we made our way toward the main entrance of Tahrir Square, where Mubarak’s people had positioned themselves along the barricade established by the army to prevent attacks on the protesters. We slipped between the lines after a cursory weapons check by women deployed by the Tahrir protesters.
Inside the square all was peaceful, quiet, cheerful. On the pavement lay a huge sign: “Game over!” Strung across the far end of the square was a banner: “People Demand Removal of the Regime.” A large woman carrying a broom and dustpan remarked, “Garbage”.
Men and boys dozed on blankets in the sun. The devout knelt on a banner to pray. But while the tanks continued to block the entrances, most of the soldiers had melted away, leaving the square open to loyalist thugs armed with staves and stones. Soon emboldened by their swelling numbers, they attacked, launching the first skirmish in the battle for Tahrir.