The People Demand … the Execution of the Former Interior Minister.
Several thousand protesters rallied this afternoon in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, marching past several government ministries and returning to Tahrir without clashing with police.
The demonstration was meant to send a message to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that the continued brutality meted out by the police and military must be put to an end by the caretaker government and that political reforms must be implemented at more swift of a pace.
Egyptian flags were held aloft, as well as portraits of protesters killed during the uprising that began January 25th and led to the resignation of President Husni Mubarak, who ruled the country since 1981. Protesters marched toward the Ministry of Interior but turned back before reaching it in an effort to avoid a violent confrontation with security forces.
In this way, protesters also sought to send a signal to the broader Egyptian public. Following the pitched battles in the streets around Tahrir on Tuesday and Wednesday, Egyptian media outlets and a substantial portion of the Egyptian public have questioned the goals of these protesters. Are they counter-revolutionaries out to spoil the gains made since Mubarak’s resignation or riff-raff standing in the way of Egypt’s return to economic and political stability?
Avoiding a battle with the cops was meant to assuage these concerns and bring attention to the recent brutality of the government and police.
Not all of those present were so shy toward confrontation. Some protesters darted down a side street toward the Egyptian Parliament before being urged back by protest organizers and most of other demonstrators. Later, as the march doubled back toward Tahrir, protesters formed human chains blocking access to the same side streets. Meanwhile, chants went out: “The people want the execution of Habib,” in reference to Habib al Adly, the former Interior Minister who has been convicted on corruption charges but awaits trial for the killing of protesters during the January and February uprising.
Protesters will return to Tahrir next Friday for a march calling for the reclamation of the spirit of the January uprising and demand that SCAF make good on a transition to a civil government. While SCAF and other elites remain focused on scheduling elections for later this year and revitalizing Egypt’s floundering economy, the protesters in Tahrir seek to keep open the political space created during uprising.
Whether the uprising is, indeed, a revolution is still very much undecided. The numbers in Tahrir are far less than those of several months ago. And many Egyptians who supported the ouster of Mubarak’s are skeptical of continued protests. But the thousands in the street today maintain a buoyancy and purpose that will be difficult to quell — even when confronted by the remnants of Egypt’s brutal police and military apparatus.
