Below are news clips reporting on the protests in Egypt. The short version is that today all protest has been banned. There are more and more aggressive police in the streets. The protests today are far smaller than yesterday, but they are still happening. Unfortunately, I cannot vouch for any of the reporting here, it is just what I have picked up from major news sources. Any corrections or updated information that folks find would be much appreciated.
Protests Yesterday
Obviously, everyone knows that there were massive protests in Egypt, for a while overwhelming the state security apparatus and shocking both the regime and the world at large. I still don’t have a good sense of where the protests were or how big they were.
In Cairo, roughly 20,000 people appear to have taken over Tahrir Square in the heart of Cairo. They drove back police and held the square for hours. Late in the night (most sources seem to say about 1 am), the crowd had dwindled to roughly 5,000, and the police attack, finally overwhelming the protesters and driving them from the square. Many were beaten, and an unknown number arrested.
A reporter with the Guardian describes his harrowing experience being arrested, beaten, and locked in a crowded van with dozens of injured protesters:
At one o'clock in the morning, after a day covering the protests across the Egyptian capital, I found myself in Abdel Munim Riyad square, a downtown traffic junction close to Tahrir, Cairo's central plaza, which had been occupied by demonstrators for several hours. Egyptian security forces had just launched an attack on Tahrir and thousands of people were now pouring in my direction, teargas heavy in the air...
It is important to note here that while that mass of the Egyptian security personnel were the riot police, they were stiffened by "amin dowla, plain-clothes officers from Egypt's notorious state security service." These were the guys doing the beating, and they are the real heart of Mubarak’s security apparatus.
In Alexandria, roughly 10,000 to 15,000 protesters marched. A judicial source said 64 people were detained in Alexandria.(Reuters)
In Suez, an unknown number of Egyptians joined the protest, but police repression was particularly harsh and three protesters were killed. The dead were listed as Ghareeb Al-Saied, 44, allegedly shot dead by riot police, as well as Mostafa Ragab Abdel Fatah, 25, and Soliman Saber Ali, 40,
It was reported<that injuries resulting from police violence have reached 120 in Suez alone. </p>
Other protests took place around the country, but I don’t have a good sense of where they were or how many were involved. It is important to know that these protests were NOT organized by the Muslim Brotherhood, which officially refused to take part (though doubtless some of their members joined in). The leaders of the protests were community groups, particularly the April 6 Youth Movement , which did much of its organizing through Facebook. Given the success of the organizers, the Egyptian government is attempting to block both Facebook and Twitter in Egypt:
Facebook has been a key means of communication for protesters, but Egyptians said the site was blocked on Wednesday. Twitter confirmed its site was blocked on Tuesday, although users could still access it via proxy sites.
(Reuters).
The Egyptian government is trying to blame the protests on the banned Muslim Brotherhood (Al Jazeera):
The ministry claimed that 18 officers and 85 other members of the force had been injured during the clashes. Security officials also said that 250 protesters had been wounded and another 200 arrested.
The government officially blamed the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's technically banned but largest opposition movement, for fomenting the protests.
But the group said that it would not officially participate in the January 25 protests and denied the accusation.
Protests Today
Protests continue today, but the state security appears to be out in much stronger force, and all protests have been banned in Egypt (remember that Egypt has officially been under martial law since 1981).
In Cairo:
3,000 protesters have gathered in Cairo today near the court complex. (Reuters). Also in Reuters:
Hundreds of protesters also gathered outside Cairo's journalists' syndicate, where the authorities allow regular protests. Police beat some with batons when they tried to break a cordon. Protesters on buildings threw stones at police below.
The state news agency said 90 people were arrested while trying to gather in Tahrir square in central Cairo, the focus of the biggest demonstrations.
For another angle (Al Jazeera):
On Wednesday evening, thousands of demonstrators were spread throughout downtown Cairo after being dispersed by security forces. Many had gathered on Gelaa Street, near central Tahrir Square - the site of a violent early morning confrontation between security forces and protesters who had been planning to sleep the night in defiance of the government.
Al Jazeera notes that the police are intentionally stoking violent conflict:
Police fired tear gas and broke up concrete to use as rocks to throw at protesters and "egg them on," Al Jazeera's Adam Makary reported.
Al Jazeera's Makary said that over 200 people had gathered to protest before the Lawyers Syndicate, generally perceived as a "safe haven" for demonstrations, since the security forces do not usually interrupt gatherings there.
BBC:
Police broke up a demonstration in central Cairo, beating protesters with batons. Demonstrators also gathered in the eastern city of Suez.
In Suez:
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the morgue in Suez demanding the release of one of the three bodies, witnesses said. Protesters said he was killed by several gunshots and demanded an autopsy.
(Reuters)
An Egyptian official previously said that two protesters had been killed in Suez, one protester died of respiratory problems after inhaling tear gas, while another was hit by a rock – i.e. neither was intentionally killed by police. The protesters are challenging this story, and accuse the police of using live ammunition.
Ennahar Online lists the protesters numbers at about 2,000 in Suez.
Arrests and police repression
While it's clear that three protesters were killed in Suez (and one police officer in Cairo), I don't have a good sense of how many were injured. The number is likely quite high. As one story above noted, 120 we reported injured in Suez alone.
As for arrests, overall BBC quotes security offices saying "at least 500 people had been arrested in a crackdown against the protests."
However, another source cites the figure at 860:
Egyptian security officials say 860 protesters have been arrested during two days of anti-government demonstrations. The officials say nearly 600 were detained in Cairo. The remainder were arrested in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria and elsewhere.
Reaction in the US government
From Mitch McConnell:
All I could say this morning is that Egypt has been an extremely important ally of ours since Anwar Sadat, and we're all watching these developments in Cairo very carefully," said Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
"Beyond that, I think I will not comment this morning, but they are an extremely important ally of ours," he told MSNBC television.
From the State Department:
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the United States would continue to raise its concerns over the need for reform with governments in the region.
"The United States is a partner of Egypt and the Egyptian people in this process, which we believe should unfold in a peaceful atmosphere," he said in a statement.
Clinton said during a news conference with Spanish Foreign minister Trinidad Jimenez that Washington believed Mubarak's government was not in peril.
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That's what I have at the moment. These are just snippets I’ve been able to pick up from major news sources on the web, without much coherence or any analysis. I know plenty of folks here have other and better sources, and I hope they will post updates as they find them. Thanks.
UPDATE - Some good links from Sofia:
Issandr El Amrani
Zenobia at Egyptian Chronicles
Gordon Reynolds at Awl
Ashraf Khalil at Foreign Policy
Al-Masry Al-Youm
Thanks, Sofia.