Thousands March in Egyptian Capital Calling for President’s Ouster

[Magda Hassan]

Groton Guard detachment is heading to Egypt

Published 01/24/2011 12:00 AM
Updated 01/24/2011 04:59 AM


[URL="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250"]
[/URL]




Groton - Connecticut National Guard Detachment 2, Company I, 185th Aviation Regiment of Groton has mobilized and will deploy to the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, to support the Multinational Force and Observers.

The unit left Connecticut Jan. 15 for Fort Benning, Ga., for further training and validation. The unit operates C-23C Sherpa aircraft and has deployed three times in the last seven years in support of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The unit will provide an on-demand aviation asset to the Multinational Force and Observers commander to support its mission of supervising the security provisions of the Egypt/ Israel Peace Treaty.

Chief Warrant Officer Four James Smith of Ivoryton commands the aviation unit.
http://www.theday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...2F-1%2Fnws

[Magda Hassan]

Egyptian Activists' Action Plan: Translated

Jan 27 2011, 7:40 PM ET By Alexis Madrigal Comment
Egyptian activists have been circulating a kind of primer to Friday's planned protest. We were sent the plan by two separate sources and have decided to publish excerpts here, with translations into English. Over Twitter, we connected with a translator, who translated the document with exceptional speed.

What follows are side-by-side translations of nine pages from the 26-page pamphlet. They were translated over the last hour and pasted up in Photoshop to give you an idea of what's in the protest plan. While the plan itself contains specifics about what protesters might do, these excerpts show how one might equip oneself for clashes with riot police. Egyptian security forces have repeatedly beaten protesters as the level of violent repression of demonstrations has ratcheted upwards. For more context on the pamphlet itself, the Guardian UK ran a summary of it earlier today.

As you'll read, the creators of the pamphlet explicitly asked that the pamphlet not be distributed on Twitter or Facebook, only through email or other contacts. We're publishing this piece of ephemera because we think it's a fascinating part of the historical record of what may end up becoming a very historic day for Egypt.

The pages included are 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 12, 13, 22, and 26. You can click to (roughly) double the size of the images.

Update 8:21pm: People have asked why these particular pages were chosen. We had limited resources, so we knew we'd only be able to translate an excerpt. My guiding principles were to stay away from the small amount of tactical information in the pamphlet. Instead, we ran the more general pages. There is nothing in these pages that goes beyond standard advice and broad political statements. Broadly, we were trying to balance the historic nature of the document and protest with the safety of protesters. Publishing this excerpt was the compromise at which we arrived.

Update 8:48pm: Our translator requested that his name and Twitter handle be removed from the post. We complied.

Updated 8:57pm: Added context around why this information might be necessary for protesters.

Update 9:32am: A refinement of the document's translation has been made. Meanwhile, the Internet remains shut off in Egypt as protesters across the country clash with security forces wielding large amounts of tear gas and powerful water cannons. While the Internet remains shut off, @Jan25Voices is tweeting updates from phone calls with Egyptians. Al Jazeera English is providing excellent coverage from the ground.
http://www.theatlantic.com/international...ted/70388/

[Bernice Moore]

http://www.presstv.ir/usdetail/162768.html

CIA POINT MAN TAPPED AS MUBAREK VP

[Paul Rigby]

The pattern continues to emerge: The Nobel prize winner as CIA puppet

Who's Behind The Uprising In Egypt?

Rude Awakening!

By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info...e27383.htm

January 31, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Eyes fixed on Egypt, the consensus is that we are witnessing a global awakening. Mesmerized by the crowds, mainstream media reports, and 'pundits' analysis, we have abandoned our ability to think critically -- we fail to ask the right question: Why is the mainstream media in the U.S., the propaganda apparatus of the State and interest groups, condemning the Egyptian leader -- America and Israel's most subservient ally?

Clearly, we no longer suffer from short term memory in this country -- we suffer from a total loss of memory.

We tend to forget that well over a year ago, political actors in America and allied nations had full knowledge that Egypt's Hosni Mubarak was terminally ill. Certain that his reign was coming to a close, they devised a plan to compensate the inevitable loss of Mubarak's unconditional support. A plan was put into motion to assist orchestrate an uprising which would benefit their interests. The idea was to support the uprising so that an ally could be placed in Egypt without raising suspicion. Not only would America be seen as a benevolent force acting in good faith, contrary to its hypocritical policies, but perhaps more importantly for the decision makers, Israel's interests would be served - again - at the expense of the Arab world.

Who would be the wiser for it? It seems the public has fallen for the plan.

Media 'pundits' are eager to blame the timing of the protests in Egypt on economic hardships. Citing Egypt's jobless and inordinate poverty, they would have us believe that the American 'social media', Tweeter in particular, has prompted and aided the protests. They would have us believe that in spite of the fact that the Egyptians cry over the price of wheat, they have cell phones and access to social media. We are to accept that the poor, hungry, and jobless Egyptians are revolting against their lot by 'tweeting' in English.

Their access to modern technology aside, we are told to accept that the knowledge of English among 80 million Egyptians is so strong that they can 'tweet' -- fully comfortable with tweeter abbreviations and acronyms. Else, we are to believe that Egypt is busy 'tweeting' in Arabic even if Twitter does not lend itself to Arabic any more than it does to Persian.

When Iran's opposition leader, Mir-Hossein Mousavi compared the Egypt uprising to the 2009 post-election protests in Iran, he had a point. Both had an outside source. During the 2009 protests in Iran, 'tweets' were traced back to Israel (see link). The rumors and support for the "opposition" initiated in the West though Tehran Bureau -- partnered with the American PBS. A CNN desk was created to give the protests full coverage.

America has been attempting to undermine Iran's government for over 30 years. The media has helped to demonize the regime. Why would the media treat this obedient tyrant the same way? The mainstream media, as well as the 'left' are reporting on Egypt's protests round the clock. It is important to ask why.

For decades, the American government and allies have snuffed nationalist sentiments in the region in favor of dictators. Iran's Mossadegh, a fierce secular nationalist, who was democratically elected to be prime minister of Iran, was removed by a CIA-backed coup when he nationalized Iran's oil and the oppressive Shah put in power. This political action led to the 1979 revolution. America lost a valuable puppet in the region.

Similarly, the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egypt's patriotic Nasser led to his demise, paving the way for the eventual installation of a puppet regime - Mubarak.

But Mubarak is dying. Fearful of losing an important ally in Egypt's Mubarak, the political elite in America have undertaken a calculated risk: siding with the Egyptians to promote 'democracy' - hoping to help put in place one of their own. How likely is it that they will prevail in Egypt where they failed in Iran? Could it be that apprehensive about the future of Egypt, more importantly, its alliance with and subordination to Israel, the Noble Laureate option is being played?

Amongst the neoliberals, a new wave of thinking emerged which endorsed the idea of promoting 'democracy' ("liberal Imperialism") in order to evolve hegemonism to imperialism. Their thinking emphasized the 'character of the political leadership'. A wave of books centered on 'democratic transitions' that focused on the character of the leader with the right ideas appeared. They planned to emphasis new successful leaders such as Vaclav Havel, Nelson Mandela, Lech Walesa in order to promote their own in places of interest.

These neoliberals believed that "transition to 'democracy' required focusing on "political strategies" and introducing "indeterminancy" and "uncertainty" into the process of political change which they believed would be ground for cautious optimism that 'democracy' could catch on. Laureates were appointed: Shirin Ebadi, El Baradei, Obama, Liu Xiaobo...

Mr. ElBaradei, the Nobel Laureate and former chief of IAEA, applauded the violation of the NNPT with his acceptance speech as he praised the Bush-India nuclear deal - an NPT violation. Ally S. Korea's NPT violations were given a pass under his supervision, as well as that of Egypt's. In violation of the spirit of the NPT, he allowed the illegal referral of Iran to the UN Security Council. Mr. ElBaradei had proven himself worthy of American trust - he could be relied on and deserved a Nobel prize. He announced his readiness to run for president of Egypt.

Although not supported by protestors (no doubt placing him under house arrest will give him a boost), ElBaradei's return to Egypt enables the American politicians to speak from both sides of their mouths -- supporting the protestors' rights while supporting their ally. How could they go wrong? The thought process in this country (and elsewhere) has been guided and controlled by mainstream media and pundits, many of them neoconservatives. Curiously, the 24-7 media and its pundits have steered clear of ElBaradei and his arrest.

Sadly, the American political elite love Einstein's science but ignore his wisdom. When Einstein alerted FDR to the possibility of a nuclear weapon by the Germans, he was listened to and the way was paved for the Manhattan Project. America developed the heinous weapons of mass murder and dropped it on hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizen in the name of peace. Regrettably, as the Middle East and Africa react to America's decades of neocolonialist policies, Einstein's definition of insanity --"doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" -- is more apt than ever.

America (and her allies) has practiced the same damning foreign policy for several decades, each time expecting a new result. This political insanity manifests itself as the decision makers interfere in sovereignty of other countries - believing that they can continue to fool all the people all the time. Their controlled chaos may get out of hand and following the painful 'pangs' of neocolonial rule, we may witness the birth of a new world order.

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich has a degree in Public Diplomacy from USC Annenberg for Communication and Journalism. She is an independent researcher and writer with a focus on U.S. foreign policy and the role of lobby groups in influencing US foreign policy.

[Magda Hassan]

Quelle surprise! Yes, very middle class. The working class are still at work on the farms and scratching a living.

[Magda Hassan]

Supposedly a co-opted movement. Don't know much about it.

[David Guyatt]

(my bolding)

The unit will provide an on-demand aviation asset to the Multinational Force and Observers commander to support its mission of supervising the security provisions of the Egypt/ Israel Peace Treaty.

Ahem. What does this mean?

[Magda Hassan]

I expect it is mostly to do with control of the Suez.

There is also the issue that there could not be any UN observation force to ensure the treaty due to the veto of the USSR (then) so Israel, Egypt and the US made their own security arrangements outside of the UN.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt%E2%80...ace_Treaty
and
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace%20Proces...e%20Treaty
In particular this
Article IV

1. 
   
2. In order to provide maximum security for both Parties on the basis of reciprocity, agreed security arrangements will be established including limited force zones in Egyptian and Israeli territory, and United Nations forces and observers, described in detail as to nature and timing in Annex I, and other security arrangements the Parties may agree upon.
   
3. The Parties agree to the stationing of United Nations personnel in areas described in Annex I. The Parties agree not to request withdrawal of the United Nations personnel and that these personnel will not be removed unless such removal is approved by the Security Council of the United Nations, with the affirmative vote of the five Permanent Members, unless the Parties otherwise agree.
   
4. A Joint Commission will be established to facilitate the implementation of the Treaty, as provided for in Annex I.
   
5. The security arrangements provided for in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article may at the request of either party be reviewed and amended by mutual agreement of the Parties.
   

[David Guyatt]

Thanks Magda, that's it - the Suez etc.

PS, I have to say that BBC TV News is 24/7 this story. The "expert" view now is that there has to be a change of leadership, that Mubarak has to go. And the general tenor has changed too -- criticizing Mubarak's "sclerotic" style.

Ho, ho, ho.

[Peter Lemkin]

AMY GOODMAN: The massive protests in Egypt have entered their seventh day as tens of thousands pack into Tahrir Square in Cairo. Protesters are vowing to stay in the streets until President Hosni Mubarak resigns. A general strike was called for today, and a "million man march" is being organized for Tuesday.

The Egyptian government continues to crack down on protesters and the media. Earlier today, six Al Jazeera journalists were arrested, their equipment seized. On Sunday, Egyptian authorities closed Al Jazeera's offices in Egypt and removed the news station from the main TV satellite provider.

The internet has been completely shut off across most of Egypt. One of the only internet service providers still operating is the Noor Group, the company that manages the service for the Egyptian Stock Exchange and banks. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have been completely shut down.

Well, Democracy Now! senior producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous is in Egypt, and we've developed a workaround to circumvent the Mubarak regime's internet blackout. His round-the-clock tweets are being read around the world. Last night, CNN International highlighted one of them.

CNN INTERNATIONAL: Let's go to a trends map here that we're looking at to see the trending topics out of Cairo on Twitter. Now, still at the top here is Mubarak. But what's interesting to note is how ElBaradei has come up in a popularity so much in the last few hours. That's referring to Mohamed ElBaradei. Now, let's see what some Twitter users there are saying about him.

"Baradei seen as non-corrupt, is respected. But he lived away too long, didn't join earlier protests & this revolt was done w/o his help."

AMY GOODMAN: That was CNN International last night reading one of Sharif's tweets. Sharif grew up in Mubarak's Egypt. He was only three years old when the current regime came to power. He comes from a prominent Egyptian family with a long history in the arts, literature, film and politics.

Sharif, you landed in your home city of Cairo just a few days ago, but it was not the same country you grew up in. Describe your feelings and what you have found, but start at the airport.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Well, Amy, I've traveled to Egypt countless times from the United States after I moved there for college and then work, and when my plane from JFK touched down in Cairo International Airport on Saturday, the day after the massive protest where the protesters beat back the Interior Ministry, police and state security forces, I did land in a different country than the one I had known my entire life. Egypt has been reborn. This is not the Hosni Mubarak's Egypt anymore. And no matter what happens next, it will never be again.

This is a unprecedented popular uprising, the likes of which myself and many others never thought they would see under President Mubarak. They are taking to the streets, men and women, rich and poor, all segments of society. They are defying the curfew for the past few days, packing into Tahrir Square. And their mood is celebratory, and it's victorious. They are sure. They are sure that they will not leave until Mubarak does. And they are chanting in the streets every day.

They talk about what has taken place over the past week with such pride in what they have done. Tomorrow marks a week from the January 25th National Police Day, when the first protest began, and culminated on Friday. Friday was essentially a battle between the Interior Ministry and the people, and the people won. They talk about how they came up on the bridges leading to Tahrir, faced off with hundreds and hundreds of riot police from the Interior Ministry, from the state security forces, and were met with violence. They talk with how they walked with their hands up in the air, showing that they were coming peacefully, chanting, "Salmiya! Salmiya!" which means "Peacefully." And they were beat down. They were tear-gassed over and over again.

And I'm not talking about, you know, hardcore activists and protesters, which have been taking to the streets increasingly over the last few years; I'm talking about people who had been depoliticized over the last few years, people from the middle class, young, the Facebook generation. What one person told me, this is the revolution of the Facebook generation. They came out in droves, old and young, and they took the streets. And what one person told me was, when they would be beat down and tear-gassed, others would come in and rush the police, and then they would fall down, and others would come back after them. And they said, "We gave each other courage."

And as of 5:30 p.m., the police completely disappeared, reportedly on order, from the streets of Cairo. They were in full retreat, and they have disappeared. There is not a traffic policeman in Cairo. There's not any police anywhere. They have come down to the streets today.

But since then, the military came in. And as many saw the images on the screens of how the military was greeted warmly on the streets of Cairo, you know, crowds were roaring with approval as tanks rolled in. And what's important to understand is that, you know, over the past decades, three decades, the state, the security forces and the police have been brutalizing, have been torturing the Egyptian people, have been wrongly imprisoning them, have been corrupt. But the army has not done this. The army has not had an interaction with the civilian population since the 1973 war with Israel. And so, people trust the army. I've seen unbelievable scenes in Tahrir Square, where tanks have been just covered with people riding on the turret of the tank and all over the tanks, chanting. They pray on the tanks. They chant, "Al-gysh al-sha'ab yd wahda," which means "The army, the people are one hand." And I've seen soldiers carried on the shoulders of crowds through the crowds, chanting, holding flowers.

Now, it remains to be seen what will happen going forward. Yesterday in Tahrir, at 4:00, there's been a 4:00 p.m. curfew yesterday. Today it's actually 3:00 p.m. I'm talking to you, and the curfew is now in effect. I will be going to Tahrir after this interview. But people are in defiance of any kind of authority until Hosni Mubarak leaves. And yesterday we saw, in Tahrir, military jets, two fighter jets, and a helicopter continually swoop and do flyovers over Tahrir Square right at 4:00 p.m., when the curfew went into effect. And the jets kept getting louder and louder as they came lower. And whether it was an act of intimidation or not is unclear. But the crowds did not care. They waved and whistled and shouted to the planes as they passed overhead.

There really is an unbelievable feeling of community now, of people coming together. I've never seen Egypt this way. People are picking up trash in Tahrir Square. People are handing out food. People are helping each other. People are sleeping in the middle of Tahrir Square and setting up tents in the middle of the square. It is a scene that is very emotional. It's something that no one thought could come together. It's largely leaderless. I mean, no onethere's no one organizing group. This is a popular uprising across all segments of society. Opposition groups have come now into the fold. They arethe Muslim Brotherhood is here, and other opposition groups. But people don't want it coopted. And, you know, one of the things that I witnessed that was very moving was a lot of the Brotherhood started chanting, "Allah Akbar," and thenwhich means "God is great" in Arabic. And then the counter chant that was much louder, reverberating over them, was to "Muslim, Christian, we are all Egyptian." And that really symbolizes what's happening here in Egypt today.

And, you know, Amy, I've seen some reportsI've had very little access to any kind of outside news. They really have shut downthe internet is completely shut down here. Cell phones do work now, and people are starting to be able to call each other. There is no texting; no SMS texting goes out. And they are very afraid of the internet, because Facebook was how they organized this uprising, to begin with. It was organized on Facebook. And there's also mass SMS texting that is very common here in Egypt. And so, they've kept that shut down to try and cut off the communications from people. But people in Cairo do not care. They are going right nowI can see droves heading to Tahrir. And what's significant, they go at the time of the curfew. They go when the curfew is there, and that's when they start heading out.

And there's been many reports of violence, of looting. And I just want to be very clear about this, that there was a significant amount of looting on Friday after the police completely disappeared from the scene. Certain places in Mohandessin in downtown Cairo were burned. Banks were burned. Some shops were looted. And, you know, there's been reports of armed gangs coming around and robbing houses. Some of that did happen, yes, but what's been amazing and what's also kind of another phase of how this is Egypt coming together in this popular movement is that people have taken to the streets and formed these very efficient neighborhood watch committees. Where I live here in Zamalek, there's groups of men, young and old, they stand, they form barricades. They are armed with metal pipes, some with bats. Some do have guns. And what they do is they check people coming in. They check their IDs. They're very courteous. They allow people to go through if they believe you live in the neighborhood. They have reallythey're protecting their own. They're protecting their homes. They are directing traffic. Well, the traffic cops are back in the streets of Cairo today, but before that, they were directing traffic. I've never seen Cairo traffic so smooth. One former diplomat I spoke with said, "It's amazing. These 15-year-old kids are doing such a much better job than our traffic police."

That's the story of what's happening here. And people are so fed up with Mubarak, it's hard to describe. They curse him. They want him to step down. And they will not leave the streets of Cairo, the streets of Egypt, until he does.

AMY GOODMAN: We're talking to Sharif Abdel Kouddous on the ground in Cairo, who has figured out a workaround and is tweeting tweets, being seen around the world. You can go to our website at democracynow.org, so you can see what Sharif is reporting throughout the day, as well as his blogs each day of what is happening in Cairo.

I wanted to turn now, Sharif, to the Nobel Peace laureate, the former head of the IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, who came into Tahrir Square this weekend and spoke. Well, on Sunday, CNN's Fareed Zakaria questioned ElBaradei about the Muslim Brotherhood.

FAREED ZAKARIA: One of the visions that haunts Americans is of the Iranian Revolution, where a dictator, pro-American dictator, was replaced by an even worse regime that was even more anti-American and more threatening to the region. People worry about the Muslim Brotherhood. Are you confident that a post-Mubarak Egypt will not give rise to some kind of Islamic fundamentalist force that will undermine the democracy of Egypt?

MOHAMED ELBARADEI: I am quite confident of that, Fareed. This is a myth that was sold by the Mubarak regime, that it's either us, the ruthless dictators, or a Muslim al-Qaeda type. You know, the Muslim Brotherhood has nothing to do with the Iranian model, has nothing to do with extremism, as we have seen it in Afghanistan and other places. The Muslim Brotherhood is a religiously conservative group. They are a minority in Egypt. They are not a majority of the Egyptian people. But they have a lot of credibility because all the other liberal parties have been smothered for 30 years.

They are in favor of a secular state. They are in favor of working on the base of a constitution that have red lines, that every Egyptian have the same rights, same obligation. The state in no way will be a state based on religion. And I have been reaching out to them. We need to include them. They are part of the Egyptian society, as much as the Marxist party here. I think this myth that has been perpetuated and sold by the regime has nohas no iota of reality. As you know, Fareed, I've worked with Iranians. I have worked here. There is 100 percent difference between the two societies.

AMY GOODMAN: That was Mohamed ElBaradei speaking on CNN over the weekend. Sharif Abdel Kouddous, can you talk about the role of the Muslim Brotherhood?

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Well, first of all, Amy, it's not for Fareed Zakaria or anyone else to decide what groups or what people are palatable to the United States to lead Egypt. That is up for Egyptians for themselves to decide. And so, I reject the way he asked that question.

But as far as the Muslim Brotherhood is concerned, Mohamed ElBaradei did have some good points. They are a religious group. They are the largest opposition group here in Egypt, which doesn't say much because of the clampdown on any kind of opposition and dissent. They have renounced violence decades ago. They fulfilled a lot of the services that the state abandoned. And so, a lot of people have gone todo support them.

But again, they were not the ones that organized this uprising. They were not the ones that were in the streets. They were not the ones who fill Tahrir right now. Tahrir is being filled, and Cairo and Egypt is being, filled by people of all segments of society. In the future, will the Brotherhood play a part? I'm sure they'll be a significant force; there is no question of that. And it is true, they are different from the Iranian regime. But again, whether the Muslim Brotherhood or anyone else fits the U.S. model of what democracy should be likedemocracy is for people to choose for themselves.

And the Egyptian people want to choose for themselves. That's all they're asking. They're very politically aware. They're aware of the U.S. support for the Mubarak regime for the last 30 years. I've had protesters come up to mepeople come up to me holding up tear gas canisters, fired tear gas canisters, showing me the "Made in U.S.A." sign, showing me how, you know, the weapons used against them were made in the U.S. They realize this. And all they ask foryou know, this isn't a big anti-American rally. You don't see burning of American flags or anything like that. All they ask for is to be left alone to be able to decide for themselves.

AMY GOODMAN: Sharif, I'd like to ask you to stay on the phone. We're going to be joined by two guests in Washington and in New York, but I'd like you to join in at any point, as your observations are key on the ground in Cairo. Sharif Abdel Kouddous is a senior producer here at Democracy Now! He flew into Cairo over the weekend. You can follow his blogs, his tweets at democracynow.org. This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. We'll be back in a minute.

[break]

AMY GOODMAN: Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Democracy Now! senior producer, is on the ground in Cairo. Sharif, I wanted to continue to discuss howyour feelings as you flew into the country. You come from one of the most prominent families in Egypt, your grandfather one of the most famous writers, Ihsan Abdel Quddous. Your great-grandmother, Rosa al Youssef, a magazine she founded still exists today. And your uncleyou came into Tahrir Square, where you saw him being greeted by many. Describe the scene.

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Well, Amy, my uncle is Mohamed Abdel Quddoos. He's a leading opposition protester. He's now head of the Freedom Committee at the Press Syndicate, and he has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood himself. And, Amy, he's been protesting for years. There's been a growing movement here in Egypt of protests, of people trying to voice their dissent. But they have been harshly clamped down on. And what we typically used to see was people like my uncle and other opposition voices speaking in Tahrir on the steps of the Press Syndicate, but they would be about a dozen and then surrounded by hundreds of police, and it would be quickly shut down. They would be arrested. They would be driven out into the middle of the desert and left there, without their wallet or phone, to find their way back, which is a common tactic by the policecompletely shut down. And for years, my uncle washis standard attire, he would leave the building wearing a suit, holding a megaphone and a flag of Egypt in his hand, and he would go into the streets.

And this wasI saw him yesterday in the square. He was there with his megaphone and flag and his suit all crumpled because he had spent the night in Tahrir. And I sat down next to him, and I said, "How are you feeling now?" And he was overwhelmed with emotion. He said, "This is a dream come true." And he pointed over to where the Press Syndicate is, and he said, "You remember when I used to stand on the steps of that Press Syndicate to protest? I would stand alone. Now look at everyone. They're all here with me."

And he went on to say how this was not his uprising, it was not his revolt. He said this was done by young people. And he's the one who called it "the revolution of the Facebook generation." He said there's beenhe said, "Tunis was the catalyst and the spark, but it's been building for so many years." And he said there's three similarities between Egypt and Tunis that he saw. He said this was organized through Facebook and was a leaderless movementthat's one. He said the president will fall; of that, he is surethat's two. And three, he says the army supports the people and won't harm them; of that, he is sure, too.

But it was a very moving scene being with him there. And the people in Tahrir, the people who came out to protest, who recognized him, his years of struggle aloneand as I was talking to him, dozens of people would come shake his hand, kiss him hello, take pictures with him. And they paying tribute to his years of struggle that have helped to bring about this mass uprising in the streets.

And just one last thing, Amy, before you move on. I know

AMY GOODMAN: Just one point, Sharif, just one point

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Go ahead.

AMY GOODMAN: In the first few days of this uprising, he was one of the first arrested. Is that right?

SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Oh, yes. On Tuesday, the first day, on January 25th, he was on the steps of the Press Syndicate with other journalists. They were protesting. He was arrested by five plainclothes police officers. There was a picture of him being dragged away that was circulated widely on the internet and on Facebook. He was held for several hours at a police station. When they realized who he was, they let him go. He refused to leave until other students, 20 other students that were arrested with him, were let go. And so, he remained in the prison for about six more hours, until the students were let go, as well. He was also arrested again on Friday and driven out, in that same tactic, out into the desert. But he came back.

And one thing, Amy, I think there's been this fear of the police force and of the interior state security forces for so long. Regardless of what happens, if they come back in the streets, if they come back into power, I don't think the Egyptian people will ever fear them in the same way again, because they went to battle against them and they won. And I think they are the ones who will be afraid of the people now.

AMY GOODMAN: Sharif Abdel Kouddous, reporting from the ground in Cairo, Egypt.