Egypt protesters gain ground: Labour unions stage country-wide strikes & demonstrations extend

Source: Al Jazeera English

Labour unions stage country-wide strikes and pro-democracy supporters extend demonstrations to the parliament buildings.

Last Modified: 09 Feb 2011 11:49 GMT

The Egyptian cabinet building in Cairo has been evacuated and officials relocated after pro-democracy protesters gathered outside, sources tell Al Jazeera.

Pro-democracy demonstrations are gaining momentum in the Egyptian capital, with some protesters moving from Tahrir Square to camp out in the area outside the parliament buildings.

Protesters are demanding the assembly's immediate dissolution. Wednesday's developments came as public rallies calling for Hosni Mubarak to hand over power immediately entered their sixteenth day.

The president's message has thus far been that he will not leave until his term expires in September.

As a gesture of goodwill, 34 political prisoners, including members of the banned opposition group, Muslim Brotherhood, were reportedly released over the last two days.

The government seems to be scrambling under pressure from major powers and pro-democracy supporters, Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker reported from Cairo.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/201129103224329921.html

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Much more at the link, including video reports.

The protest is getting so massive now that it's starting to spread out of Tahrir and across Cairo.

Many reports on TV today that word of mouth is spreading across Egypt about what's happening in Tahrir Square, and many more newly emboldened people keep turning up from across the country. Tueday had the largest amount of revolutionaries so far, and Friday promises to be even bigger.

CAIRO — Protesters demanding the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak appeared on Wednesday to have recaptured the initiative in their battle with his government, demonstrating a new ability to mobilize thousands to take over Cairo’s streets beyond their headquarters at Tahrir Square and to spark labor unrest.

The pressure on Mr. Mubarak intensified after the largest crowd of protesters in two weeks flooded Cairo’s streets on Tuesday and the United States delivered its most specific demands yet, urging swift steps toward democracy. Some of the protesters had been inspired by an emotional interview with an online political organizer on Egypt’s most popular talk show.

At dawn on Wednesday, hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators remained camped out at Parliament, where they had marched for the first time on Tuesday. On the 16th day of the uprising, there were reports of thousands demonstrating in several other cities around the country while protesters began to gather again in Tahrir Square.

By midday, hundreds of workers from the Health Ministry, adjacent to Parliament and several hundred yards from Tahrir Square, also took to the streets in a protest whose exact focus was not immediately clear, Interior Ministry officials said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/world/middleeast/10egypt.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Thousands of factory workers stay away from work as pro-democracy protesters continue to rally seeking Mubarak's ouster.
Last Modified: 09 Feb 2011 14:38 GMT


Pro-democracy protesters have gathered outside the parliament, near Cairo's Tahrir Square (AFP)

Egyptian labour unions have gone on a nationwide strike, adding momentum to pro-democracy demonstrations in Cairo and other cities.

Al Jazeera correspondents, reporting from Egypt, said around 20,000 factory workers stayed away from work on Wednesday.

"It is a significant gain for the pro-democracy supporters" if the unions get involved in demonstrations, Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid reported from Cairo.

The strike action came as public rallies calling for Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, to hand over power immediately entered their 16th day.

Same link as at the top: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/20112913546831171.html

"dark bats of the night"?

Reporting From Cairo —

Tensions rose in Egypt's capital Wednesday as the army confronted protesters occupying new territory in front of the parliament building and the vice president warned of a possible coup, saying demonstrations must end or "the dark bats of the night" would emerge to terrorize the nation.

Vice President Omar Suleiman, who until has now presented himself as a soft-spoken voice of reason in discussions with opposition leaders, sounded rattled as he warned of tougher measures in comments to Egyptian newspaper editors published Wednesday.

The protests are "very dangerous for society and we can't put up with this at all," he said. "We don't want to deal with Egyptian society with police tools."

He said he foresaw "the dark bats of the night emerging to terrorize the people" if the situation is not resolved. If protests against President Hosni Mubarak's leadership continued, he said, the likelihood is that "a coup happens, which would mean uncalculated and hasty steps, including lots of irrationalities."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-egypt-unrest-20110210,0,3733387.story