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Subscribe to RSSI caught up with Egyptian blogger Hossam el-Hamalawy today by phone. We've been excerpting his blog here in Photoblog for the past week. He has recently quit his job as a journalist and is participating in the anti-government protests full time. He described the air of cooperation that continues in Tahrir Square, the focal point of the protest movement.
Hossam el-Hamalawy
el-Hamalawy says while some protesters are maintaining their vigil in the square full time, others are making time in Tahrir Square a steady, but not constant part of their lives, coming and going around other obligations like work and family. He says there is a steady stream of supplies. When people join the protest they bring medical supplies, food and water to share, as seen in the photo above.
Hossam el-Hamalawy
He says a class rift is becoming more obvious, with divisions developing between upper and middle class Egyptians versus lower income and younger Egyptians. They are wary of how the protests and a possible regime shift will impact their finances, some of which depend on the status quo.
Hossam el-Hamalawy
el-Hamalawy says the protesters' camp is becoming more sophisticated, adding tarps and tents to rest under and tapping into electrical wires to recharge their mobile phones. They have entertainment to pass the time and keep morale high. Even barbers are at work in the square.
Hossam el-Hamalawy
He said while it's hard to know what's next as there’s no single protest leader to unify the movement, the next step is to hit the country's leaders financially by calling for a general strike. Imagine the effect of stopping shipping in the Suez Canal. The challenge is that workers’ unions were made illegal in Egypt decades ago, so there is little centralization to organize that kind of effort.
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It is about seven months for Mubarak staying on his regime. The reason that Mubarak needs to resign is that he is fired by the one whom pay his salary.
The one whom pay Mubarak' salary is his own people.
It is because of Mubarak's corruption /insensitive of his own people/ suppression.
He himself is "neglect of service". And, he has no confidence from his own people. He is fired by his own boss, by which it means that his own boss is his own people.
And, do not forget those innocent unarmed peaceful demonstrators are being killed and wounded by Mubarak's groups.
The Google executive is just released today by Mubarak's government, and the Mubarak government has already wrong in the first place to "adduct" him and then not to inform/notify his family that he was in "government's hand".
What make anyone thinks Mubarak would be good for the pro-democractic groups/Egyptian people?
Does Mubarak want to prep his successor? Perhaps, it may take about 7 months to prepare his leaving for his successor!
I think we pay his salary so maybe we should vote to fire him. Without the support from our aid in billions he would not be where he is...he did not use it properly. Country need to stop spending for weapons to make our weapons corporate fat and take care of their wealth in human resources...their people.
There is more than meets the eye here and of course Israel is again part of the problem. This accord came to help them as usual. I wish the Zionist would go then we can have peace everywhere.
Really enjoying and learning a lot from all of the MSNBC coverage of the events recently in Egypt. Please keep up the good work and stay safe to all of the journos still out on the job in potentially dangerous places to bring it to us.
Let Egyptian people vote.
This is exactly what makes the Internet a great thing. It gives the common person a chance to see, in real time, the truth first hand as reported by THE PEOPLE, and not by a biased press or government controlled media.
Stand your ground and let TRUTH reign free.
Enough already with all this! How long will we stare at these people while tapping our foot on the rhythm of their "Death to America" chants? The minority of decent Egyptians are leaving their country in droves while slowly their homeland is turning into yet another 14th century ultra-religious idiocracy. It's just a matter of time before they start stoning to death in the same square their women because they commited adultery or for some other stupid reason.
@commonsense
Wow you haven't even been watching a bit of this on the news have you? There is no more religious connotation to this revolution then there was to ours. Are there religious people within it, of course! There have been large number of christians, muslims, and atheists as well supporting each other. Representatives of the muslim brotherhood have even said they're not pushing for a religious theocracy.
Egypt is not a country full of extremists right now.. this is not the Iranian revolution that was centrally run by muslim extremists from virtually the beginning. If we can keep from being the hypocritical backstabbing friend noone needs like we've been to the Iraqis, and the afghans before them we have a chance of winning new Egypt as a friend just like the old one was. Only this time it doesnt have to be tainted by the fact that were supporting a closet dictator that tortures his own people, and our prisoners on the side.
Photo #4: "Can you digg it?"