People were reluctant to leave the square even to shower and freshen up. Nobody wanted to leave that world. When the news came [about the resignation], people lifted each other, hugged each other and rejoiced, but they cried as they left.
We walked so much that night. From the presidential palace, to Tahrir Square, we looked at every street and alley with fresh eyes. We were drunk with the euphoria, believing in our strength and giddy with the excitement of possibility. I remember walking endlessly, feeling like I was documenting a moment in time, capturing the glimmer of hope that was throbbing across the city. Even the air smelled different that night and the following day. I kept taking deep breaths, marvelling at the instantaneous change.
Everywhere you looked, people were laughing and smiling at each other. With the happiness came a sense of ownership of this country. We went down the next day to pick up the rubbish, clearing up the streets after the late-night celebration. The possibilities seemed endless. We pass by Tahrir Square now and look away, unable to raise our heads.
We went from the peak of happiness and hope to the depths of despair and darkness. We lost something so precious that it was impossible to move on. That unifying thread ran through the different groups of Egyptian society, and that made January 25 possible. People had tried to protest before, to organise demonstrations or labour movements. But January 25 was pivotal in that everyone held their breath, waiting to see if something would come from it — if this would be the time that people succeed.
Before, we knew there was corruption, torture and injustice. We whispered it among each other but it was underground.
Khaled Saeed [a year-old man beaten to death by police] changed all that. Youth in international interchange programmes saw how different countries had developed. Everyone understood there were problems, that there were no freedoms, but people could not articulate it.
Monitor Movie Guide. Monitor Daily. Photos of the Week. Egyptians celebrate in Tahrir Square following the announcement that Hosni Mubarak will step down as president on February 11, February 11, By Dan Murphy Staff writer.
You've read of free articles. Subscribe to continue. Mark Sappenfield. Our work isn't possible without your support. Digital subscription includes: Unlimited access to CSMonitor. The Monitor Daily email. No advertising. Cancel anytime. Copy link Link copied. Renew subscription Return to the free version of the site. We logged you out. At the state television building earlier in the day, thousands had blocked people from entering or leaving, accusing the broadcaster of supporting the current government and of not truthfully reporting on the protests.
In Tahrir Square, hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered, chanting slogans against Mubarak and calling for the military to join them in their demands. The military said it would also guarantee changes to the constitution as well as a free and fair election, and it called for normal business activity to resume. Hossam El Hamalawy, a pro-democracy organiser and member of the Socialist Studies Centre, said protesters were heading towards the presidential palace from multiple directions, calling on the army to side with them and remove Mubarak.
An Al Jazeera reporter overlooking Tahrir said the side streets leading into the square were filling up with crowds. Thousands of pro-democracy campaigners also gathered outside a presidential palace in Alexandria.
Egyptian television reported that large angry crowds were heading from Giza, adjacent to Cairo, towards Tahrir Square and some would march on the presidential palace. Protests are also being held in the cities of Mansoura, Mahala, Tanta, Ismailia, and Suez, with thousands in attendance. Violence was reported in the north Sinai town of el-Arish, where protesters attempted to storm a police station.
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