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Subscribe to RSSPhotojournalist Ron Haviv arrived in Egypt on Monday to photograph the unrest as anti-government protesters demanded the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. Since his arrival, anti-government protesters have dominated the streets and the headlines. But today, there was a shift with thousands of pro-Mubarak people spilling out into the streets. They were angry that their side of the story was not being heard. Haviv said he saw supporters from all walks of life: professionals, youths and even families. He said the main clashes between opposing protesters were happening in a small area centered around Tahrir Square. While the eyes of the world are trained on what he describes as a "very small bubble," he said it's hard to say how well those on the street represent the much larger population of 80 million people in Egypt.
Haviv describes how the situation in Egypt compares to other conflicts and unrest he's photographed for years around the world. Watch the Skype interview below to hear how the unrest in Cairo compares to the fall of the Berlin wall or uprisings in Somalia.
Ron Haviv / VII
Pro-Mubarak demonstrators ride on camel during a protest in downtown Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday.
Ron Haviv / Ron Haviv/VII
Anti-Mubarak Egyptians hurl stones at opposing protesters in Tahir Square.
Photojournalist Ron Haviv, VII Photo, compares the unrest in Egypt to other famous world events he's covered
As clashes broke out between the opposing protest group, Haviv discovered volunteer doctor and nurses creating a makeshift hospital at a mosque. See images from the scene.
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Citizens joined together or apart expressing themselves countering oppression is not mob mentality. Obama said "I hear your voices", plagiarizing President Bush saying (i hear you and very soon the people who tore down these buildings will hear you all". Obama can't or won't hear the majority of citizens that protested against him and his policies but he can hear voices over the ocean with the Internet shut down in Egypt. He can't be hearing these voices through Katie Couric sitting on her throne. I love and see the end times coming for those surrounding Israel who are foolish enough to believe the Peace Prize man himself (Obama). Decisions are not his forte but beer garden rhetoric is.
Obama should be put under house arrest by our Military because as "commander in chief" these past two years he did NOTHING to get Murbarak to "change" knowing full well the "hope" the Egyptian people had in their hearts would never come to them as long as he was propping up a tyrant.
The Egyptian Military will eventually arrest Mubarak in a coup, order the police to disband, and install a interm government with elections to be held in 30 days.... otherwise, it will be complete anarchy or civil war.
Because our Military is so afraid of the un-elected media, we will never have real Democracy here, our Congress is a joke, the Senate is a travesty because all three branches of govt. ignore and do not abide by the "Bill of Rights" or the "Constitution" today... We as Americans should have a referendum to repeal and REVOKE ALL PENSIONS for public servants because "we the people" never voted for them to have that perk, they voted it in for themselves!
These tyrant was propped up 30 years ago in a deal to prop up Israel support. Now you want Obama to change it...remember the Suez canal? How do we get oil over here? So Obama removes Mubarak, how?
the people need to do it....about learning some history, it is not as easy as you think to fix problems created over 50 years of stupid foreign policies by warmongers supporting Israel and building a DOD bigger than anyone...money weapons and oil lobbyist have ruined this country...throw in some right winger like Cheney and Bush and you get the idea.
@Robert
It is not America's duty to fiddle around in foreign politics. We can give advice, sure but actively effect the Government in another country is a very messy affair. Look at the botched Coup's in Vietnam and Cuba. Look at what happened in Rwanda.
The POTUS is going all he legally should do to urge Mubarak to do the right thing.
The only mob mentality comes from sensationalistic headlines like the one for this article. The violence was started by Mubarak supporters, and the only danger to journalists comes at the hands of government agents for Mubarak. Tell it like it is. And MSNBC is usually a voice of reason, considering it's ownership, but propaganda against the people led revolution does not add anything positive to the discourse.
>>>Photojournalist describes danger of mob mentality in Egypt / / / NO KIDDING, doesn't anyone but me see that they're on the verge of a CIVIL WAR???
No, I am sure there are plenty of others that realize all the signs are there.
It does seem that the press innuendo is slanted toward the 50,000 or so who wish Mubarak to leave office immediately: referring to them as protestors while referring to Mubarak's supporters as a mob; referring to Mubarak's supporters as having been "deployed," implying that they were sent by the established government. Perhaps, but where are the facts to back up those comments? And I would suggest that the concentrated coverage is itself contributing to the image that the news organizations are biased in favor of the anti-government protestors. Where are the interviews of the non-mob? What about those who are just living their lives (that would be the 79 million who aren't protesting)? The anti-government protestors seem to have no plan for governing the other 79 million; they just want their way, and like petulant children they want it now. They have gotten the commitment from Mubarak to allow a reasoned, orderly transition, and they should either put up a plan to which the populace can agree, or go home. Lynching Mubarak is NOT a reasonable solution.
Well for one the Pro-government people are hunting down Journalists and stealing cameras, beating and assaulting reporters or even kidnapping them, so I do not think you could get an interview even if the reporters wanted to. Second many reports have had talks during the slower times yesterday that point to some of the captured supporters being police or military as they found Id badges on them after the detained them. The fact that these Pro-Govies all appeared at nearly the same time and had weapons: swords, machetes, high powered rifles and automatics, also points to something more then your average protester when they start attacking the otherwise mostly peaceful, albeit, loud anti-govies.
The whole thing, in total, reeks and I think most people realize this. Where were these Pro-Government protesters at the rest of the week? Why did they only show up AFTER Mubarak gave his speech the other day saying that any further protesting of his regime could cost the protesters their lives?
Too many suspicious questions and circumstances to think otherwise for me.
My take on Egypt is this: The Military will eventually arrest Mubarak in a coup, order the police to disband, and install a interm government with elections to be held on 30 days.... otherwise, it will be complete anarchy or civil war.
I would be on a plane by now if I was an American Journalist!
Which is what Mubarak wants. That is one of the reasons he has been shutting down communications to Egypt, so that the world can not see what is going on.
Though I can see how some reporters might want to beat it out of their. For reporters that have been in War Zones I bet they have similar feelings right now, similar thoughts. But all in all it is their duty to record the events happening, because no one in Egypt has the time to at the moment and we can not really trust Mubarak to not alter any released footage after the fact if he remains in power.